TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — With the November 2022 midterm election a week away, a new poll from the University of South Florida showed the economy is a big issue for voters, particularly the ongoing inflation impacting the U.S., and more acutely, Florida.
According to the poll results, inflation and the economy were the main issues for voters, higher than anything else, with inflation top of mind. Immigration, abortion, and gun violence or crime were the other issues Florida voters say will impact their votes.
The poll broke down the issues while studying how inflation and government response to rising costs is affecting voters before the midterms.
When asked to identify the issues that will impact their votes this fall, inflation ranked at the top, according to USF.
- Inflation: 52%
- Economy/Jobs: 48%
- Immigration: 32%
- Abortion: 28%
- Gun Violence/Crime: 27%
In addition to concerns over rising prices, 80% of the survey respondents said their wages have not kept up with inflation over the past year. Only 7% of those who responded to the USF survey said they had been able to save more money than before if there was an emergency, compared to the year before.
Instead, 67% said they had less money to spend if an emergency sprang up.
Going question by question, most of those responding said inflation has changed how they buy groceries, that it’s had an effect on discretionary spending, how they handle paying their bills, and their ability to travel.
The survey found most of the respondents were not pleased with the federal response to inflation.
“More than a third of Floridians say that the Biden Administration’s policies are primarily responsible for the rising costs of goods and services,” the survey reported. “19% attribute inflation primarily to the COVID-19 pandemic, and 11% attribute it primarily to the War in Ukraine.”
