A new NBC News poll found that the plurality of Americans think the number one threat facing the nation right now is ongoing threats to democracy in the United States, surpassing concerns about inflation and the cost of living.
The poll, conducted August 11-16, found 21% of respondents listing “threats to democracy” as the number one issue facing the country, versus just 16% who said it was the “cost of living.” In a May poll, “cost of living” was listed first by 22% of Americans, with “voting rights and election integrity” garnering top concern from just 12% of respondents.
President Joe Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act, which addresses climate change, reduces prescription drug costs for seniors, and standardizes corporate taxes for businesses with more than $1 billion in revenue, gets significant support, with 42% of people saying it’s a good program and only 31% saying they don’t like it; 27% had no opinion.
Although Biden’s job approval held steady, to 42% approval versus 55% disapproval, respondents’ approval of the way Biden is handling the economy shot up to 40%, versus 33% in the May poll.
Donald Trump’s numbers continue to stay in the toilet, with only 36% expressing any approval of Trump and an astounding 46% rating their feelings toward the former present as “strongly negative” and 54% having overall negative impressions of Trump. Biden has a 40% positive rating versus just 48% responding negatively.
The other big loser in the poll is the US Supreme Court: In July 2018, 50% of Americans reported “somewhat positive” or “very positive” opinions toward the Court; today, that number is just 35%, with 42% having negative views. In 2018, just 21% had a negative view of the high court.