{"id":8654,"date":"2022-02-25T09:59:39","date_gmt":"2022-02-25T14:59:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/short-reads\/%year%\/%monthnum%\/%day%\/state-of-the-union-2022-how-americans-view-major-national-issues\/"},"modified":"2025-04-23T23:56:08","modified_gmt":"2025-04-24T03:56:08","slug":"state-of-the-union-2022-how-americans-view-major-national-issues","status":"publish","type":"short-read","link":"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/short-reads\/2022\/02\/25\/state-of-the-union-2022-how-americans-view-major-national-issues\/","title":{"rendered":"State of the Union 2022: How Americans view major national issues"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"aligncenter size-640-wide\"><img decoding=\"async\" sizes=\"(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" src=\"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/FT_22.02.22_SOTU_feature.jpg?w=640\" alt=\"Members of Congress stand as President Joe Biden arrives to deliver his address to a joint session on April 28, 2021.\" class=\"wp-image-406660\" \/><figcaption>Members of Congress stand as President Joe Biden arrives to deliver his address to a joint session on April 28, 2021. (Caroline Brehman\/CQ-Roll Call\/Getty Images) <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">President Joe Biden will deliver his <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2022\/01\/07\/politics\/state-of-the-union-biden-pelosi\/index.html\">first State of the Union address<\/a> on Tuesday night. The speech comes as the country approaches the third year of <a href=\"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/topic\/coronavirus-disease-covid-19\/\">the coronavirus pandemic<\/a>, and amid rising concerns about the economy and challenges from abroad.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Here&#8217;s a look at public opinion on some of the key issues facing the country, drawn from recent Pew Research Center surveys.<\/p>\n\n\n<div style=\"border-width:1px;padding-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--20);padding-left:var(--wp--preset--spacing--30);padding-right:var(--wp--preset--spacing--30);padding-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--20);--block-gap: inherit\" class=\"wp-block-prc-block-collapsible has-background has-ui-beige-very-light-background-color has-border-color has-ui-beige-dark-border-color\" id=\"how-we-did-this\" data-wp-interactive=\"{&quot;namespace&quot;:&quot;prc-block\\\/collapsible&quot;}\" data-wp-context=\"{&quot;collapsibleId&quot;:&quot;how-we-did-this&quot;,&quot;isOpen&quot;:false}\" data-wp-class--is-open=\"context.isOpen\" data-wp-init--scroll-into-view=\"callbacks.onInitScrollIntoView\"><div class=\"wp-block-prc-block-collapsible__title\" data-wp-on--click=\"actions.onClick\"><div>How we did this<\/div><button class=\"wp-block-prc-block-collapsible__icon\"><span data-wp-bind--hidden=\"context.isOpen\"><i class=\"icon icon-library__light icon__circle-plus\"><svg style=\"width: 1em; height: 1em;\"><use xlink:href=\"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/plugins\/prc-icon-library\/build\/icons\/sprites\/light.svg#circle-plus\"><\/use><\/svg><\/i><\/span><span data-wp-bind--hidden=\"!context.isOpen\" hidden><i class=\"icon icon-library__light icon__circle-minus\"><svg style=\"width: 1em; height: 1em;\"><use xlink:href=\"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/plugins\/prc-icon-library\/build\/icons\/sprites\/light.svg#circle-minus\"><\/use><\/svg><\/i><\/span><\/button><\/div><div class=\"wp-block-prc-block-collapsible__content\">\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This analysis looks at Americans\u2019 views on a variety of key national issues ahead of the annual State of the Union address.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Methodology for each Pew Research Center poll can be found at the links in the post. Everyone who took part in the surveys is a member of the Center\u2019s American Trends Panel (ATP), an online survey panel that is recruited through national, random sampling of residential addresses. This way nearly all U.S. adults have a chance of selection. The survey is weighted to be representative of the U.S. adult population by gender, race, ethnicity, partisan affiliation, education and other categories. Read more about the&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/methods\/u-s-survey-research\/american-trends-panel\/\">ATP\u2019s<\/a> methodology.<\/p>\n\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"americans-are-most-concerned-about-the-economy\"><strong>Americans are most concerned about the economy<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"alignright size-420-wide\"><a rel=\"attachment wp-att-13751\" href=\"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/short-reads\/2022\/02\/25\/state-of-the-union-2022-how-americans-view-major-national-issues\/pp_2022-02-16_priorities_0-01a-png\/\"><img data-dominant-color=\"ede7d9\" data-has-transparency=\"false\" style=\"--dominant-color: #ede7d9;\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\"  srcset=\"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2022\/02\/PP_2022.02.16_priorities_0-01a.png?resize=480,685 480w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2022\/02\/PP_2022.02.16_priorities_0-01a.png?resize=782,1115 782w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2022\/02\/PP_2022.02.16_priorities_0-01a.png?resize=840,1198 840w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 480px) 480px, (max-width: 782px) 782px, 640px\" height=\"599\" width=\"420\" src=\"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2022\/02\/PP_2022.02.16_priorities_0-01a.png?w=420\" alt=\"A bar chart showing that strengthening the economy is public\u2019s top concern, followed by cutting health costs, addressing COVID-19\" class=\"wp-image-13751 not-transparent\" \/><\/a><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">More Americans say strengthening the economy should be a top policy priority for Biden and Congress to address this year than say the same about any other issue. Most U.S. adults (71%) identify this as a top concern, according to a <a href=\"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/politics\/2022\/02\/16\/publics-top-priority-for-2022-strengthening-the-nations-economy\/\">Center survey<\/a> conducted in January that asked about the importance of 18 policy priorities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The public\u2019s concern about the economy comes at a time when inflation in the United States <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/business\/2022\/02\/10\/cpi-inflation-january\/\">has hit a 40-year high<\/a>. Large majorities of Americans say prices for food and consumer goods (89%), gas prices (82%) and the cost of housing (79%) are <a href=\"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/politics\/2022\/01\/25\/views-of-the-national-economy-assessments-of-prices-jobs-housing-and-the-stock-market\/#how-americans-view-jobs-prices-and-other-economic-trends\">worse than they were a year ago<\/a>. Only 28% rate economic conditions as excellent or good.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Still, the share of Americans who cite strengthening the economy as a top priority has dropped 9 percentage points from a year ago, and concern about jobs has declined. Only about half of Americans currently view improving the job situation <a href=\"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/politics\/2021\/01\/28\/economy-and-covid-19-top-the-publics-policy-agenda-for-2021\/\">as a top priority<\/a> (52%), compared with 67% last year. Prior to the COVID-19 outbreak in 2020, there had been long-term drops in the shares citing the economy and jobs as top policy priorities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The share of Democrats and independents who lean toward the Democratic Party who say strengthening the economy should be a top priority has fallen from 75% a year ago to 63% today. There has been almost no change in views among Republicans and GOP leaners: 85% said it was a top priority last year, and 82% view it that way today.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"waning-concern-about-the-covid-19-pandemic\"><strong>Waning concern about the COVID-19 pandemic<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"alignright size-420-wide\"><a rel=\"attachment wp-att-13754\" href=\"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/short-reads\/2022\/02\/25\/state-of-the-union-2022-how-americans-view-major-national-issues\/pp_2022-02-16_priorities_0-02a-png\/\"><img data-dominant-color=\"f0f0f0\" data-has-transparency=\"false\" style=\"--dominant-color: #f0f0f0;\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\"  srcset=\"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2022\/02\/PP_2022.02.16_priorities_0-02a.png?resize=480,443 480w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2022\/02\/PP_2022.02.16_priorities_0-02a.png?resize=782,722 782w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2022\/02\/PP_2022.02.16_priorities_0-02a.png?resize=840,776 840w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 480px) 480px, (max-width: 782px) 782px, 640px\" height=\"388\" width=\"420\" src=\"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2022\/02\/PP_2022.02.16_priorities_0-02a.png?w=420\" alt=\"A line graph showing that compared with last year, fewer Americans view the economy, jobs and coronavirus as top policy priorities\" class=\"wp-image-13754 not-transparent\" \/><\/a><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Dealing with the <a href=\"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/topic\/coronavirus-disease-covid-19\/\">coronavirus outbreak<\/a> ranked among Americans\u2019 top three policy concerns in the January survey, but Americans view it as less important than they did last year. Six-in-ten now say it should be a major priority, down from 78% who said this in 2021.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The share who say dealing with the pandemic should be a top policy priority has fallen among members of both political parties, but the decline is steeper among Republicans: 60% said the pandemic was a top priority a year ago, compared with 35% today. Among Democrats, 93% viewed it as a major priority last year, compared with 80% now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Younger people are also less likely to identify this as important than older Americans. Roughly half of adults under 50 (54%) say dealing with the coronavirus should be a top priority, compared with 61% of adults ages 50 to 64, and 72% of those ages 65 and older.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Nearly two-thirds of women (65%) say that this should be a top priority for the president and Congress this year. A smaller share of men (54%) say the same.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"before-ukraine-invasion-americans-were-divided-on-russia-threat\">Before Ukraine invasion, Americans were divided on Russia threat<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"alignright size-420-wide\"><a rel=\"attachment wp-att-13760\" href=\"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/short-reads\/2022\/02\/25\/state-of-the-union-2022-how-americans-view-major-national-issues\/ft_22-02-24_sotu_russiaukraine-png\/\"><img data-dominant-color=\"f0ede3\" data-has-transparency=\"false\" style=\"--dominant-color: #f0ede3;\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\"  srcset=\"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2022\/02\/FT_22.02.24_SOTU_RussiaUkraine.png?resize=480,673 480w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2022\/02\/FT_22.02.24_SOTU_RussiaUkraine.png?resize=782,1097 782w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2022\/02\/FT_22.02.24_SOTU_RussiaUkraine.png?resize=840,1178 840w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 480px) 480px, (max-width: 782px) 782px, 640px\" height=\"589\" width=\"420\" src=\"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2022\/02\/FT_22.02.24_SOTU_RussiaUkraine.png?w=420\" alt=\"A bar chart showing that in January, there were no significant partisan differences in views of Russia and its military buildup near the Russia-Ukraine border\" class=\"wp-image-13760 not-transparent\" \/><\/a><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">When it comes to rising U.S.-Russia tensions, an early January survey found that 26% of Americans considered the Russian military buildup near Ukraine to be a major threat to U.S. interests, while 33% said it was a minor threat to U.S. interests. Another 7% said it was no threat at all. A relatively large share of U.S. adults (33%) said they were not sure how Russian actions toward Ukraine affected U.S. interests. The survey was conducted prior to&nbsp;<a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/russia-ukraine-putin-attack-a05e7c4563ac94b963134bba83187d46\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Russia\u2019s invasion of Ukraine<\/a>, before the U.S.&nbsp;<a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.cnbc.com\/2022\/02\/12\/pentagon-orders-departure-of-us-troops-in-ukraine.html\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">put troops on higher alert<\/a>, and before NATO announced that member countries would&nbsp;<a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nato.int\/cps\/en\/natohq\/news_191040.htm\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">send military support to the region<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The survey found that about half of U.S. adults (49%) considered Russia a competitor of the U.S., while 41% said it is an enemy. Only 7% considered Russia a partner of the U.S.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">When it comes to other foreign policy concerns, the share of Americans who rank defending the country against future terrorist attacks as a top policy priority has been steadily declining in recent years: 55% of Americans said in the <a href=\"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/politics\/2022\/02\/16\/publics-top-priority-for-2022-strengthening-the-nations-economy\/\">January policy priorities survey<\/a> that this should be a major priority, dropping from 63% last year and 74% in <a href=\"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/politics\/2020\/02\/13\/as-economic-concerns-recede-environmental-protection-rises-on-the-publics-policy-agenda\/\">an early 2020 survey<\/a>.<strong><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"wide-partisan-gaps-on-climate-change\"><strong>Wide partisan gaps on climate change <\/strong><strong><\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"alignright size-420-wide\"><a rel=\"attachment wp-att-13757\" href=\"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/short-reads\/2022\/02\/25\/state-of-the-union-2022-how-americans-view-major-national-issues\/pp_2022-02-16_priorities_0-04c-png\/\"><img data-dominant-color=\"ededec\" data-has-transparency=\"false\" style=\"--dominant-color: #ededec;\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\"  srcset=\"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2022\/02\/PP_2022.02.16_priorities_0-04c.png?resize=480,709 480w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2022\/02\/PP_2022.02.16_priorities_0-04c.png?resize=782,1154 782w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2022\/02\/PP_2022.02.16_priorities_0-04c.png?resize=840,1240 840w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 480px) 480px, (max-width: 782px) 782px, 640px\" height=\"620\" width=\"420\" src=\"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2022\/02\/PP_2022.02.16_priorities_0-04c.png?w=420\" alt=\"A chart showing that there are wide partisan gaps on many issues, but majorities in both parties prioritize a stronger economy\" class=\"wp-image-13757 not-transparent\" \/><\/a><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Dealing with global climate change was among the most politically divisive issues on the January survey: Roughly two-thirds of Democrats (65%) say this should be a top priority for Biden and Congress this year, compared with just 11% of Republicans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Views also differ based on age. Adults under 30 are the only age group in which a majority (54%) say global climate change should be a top priority. This compares with 42% of those ages 30 to 49, 36% of those ages 50 to 64 and 39% of those age 65 and older.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In a <a href=\"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/science\/2021\/05\/26\/gen-z-millennials-stand-out-for-climate-change-activism-social-media-engagement-with-issue\/\">survey conducted in April 2021<\/a>, majorities of Americans said the federal government was doing too little to reduce the effects of global climate change (59%) and to protect important aspects of the environment including air quality (59%), water quality of lakes, rivers and streams (63%) and animals and their habitats (57%).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"immigration-policy-looms-large-for-republicans\"><strong>Immigration policy looms large for Republicans<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"alignright size-420-wide\"><a rel=\"attachment wp-att-13748\" href=\"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/short-reads\/2022\/02\/25\/state-of-the-union-2022-how-americans-view-major-national-issues\/pp_2022-02-16_priorities_0-03a-png\/\"><img data-dominant-color=\"f3f2f2\" data-has-transparency=\"false\" style=\"--dominant-color: #f3f2f2;\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\"  srcset=\"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2022\/02\/PP_2022.02.16_priorities_0-03a.png?resize=480,700 480w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2022\/02\/PP_2022.02.16_priorities_0-03a.png?resize=782,1140 782w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2022\/02\/PP_2022.02.16_priorities_0-03a.png?resize=840,1225 840w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 480px) 480px, (max-width: 782px) 782px, 640px\" height=\"613\" width=\"420\" src=\"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2022\/02\/PP_2022.02.16_priorities_0-03a.png?w=420\" alt=\"A line graph showing that fewer members of both parties now say addressing issues around race and poverty should be top policy priorities\" class=\"wp-image-13748 not-transparent\" \/><\/a><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This year, 67% of Republicans view immigration as a top priority, compared with just 35% of Democrats. Overall, about half of Americans (49%) say that dealing with immigration should be a major priority for the president and Congress this year, up 10 points from a year ago.<strong> <\/strong>At that time, identical shares of Republicans and Democrats (39% each) said dealing with the issue of immigration should be a top priority.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Although the Biden administration has <a href=\"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/short-reads\/2022\/01\/11\/key-facts-about-u-s-immigration-policies-and-bidens-proposed-changes\/\">acted on a number of fronts<\/a> to reverse more restrictive Trump-era immigration policies, deportation remains an important concern for many U.S. Latinos. A <a href=\"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/short-reads\/2022\/02\/14\/around-four-in-ten-latinos-in-u-s-worry-that-they-or-someone-close-to-them-could-be-deported\/\">March 2021 survey<\/a> of Latino adults found that nearly four-in-ten Latinos (39%) said they worry that they, a family member, or someone close to them could be deported. That concern was even higher among immigrants.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A <a href=\"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/politics\/2021\/05\/03\/most-americans-are-critical-of-governments-handling-of-situation-at-u-s-mexico-border\/#:~:text=both%20partisan%20groups.-,Most%20say%20undocumented%20immigrants%20should%20be%20allowed%20to%20stay%20in%20the%20country%20legally%2C%20if%20certain%20requirements%20are%20met,-Overall%2C%2069%25%20of\">spring 2021 survey<\/a> found that 84% of Hispanic adults said there should be a way for undocumented immigrants to stay in the country legally if certain requirements were met, compared with 69% of U.S. adults overall.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"views-on-race-related-issues\"><strong>Views on race-related issues<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"alignright size-310-wide\"><a rel=\"attachment wp-att-13743\" href=\"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/short-reads\/2022\/02\/25\/state-of-the-union-2022-how-americans-view-major-national-issues\/pp_2021-08-12_racial-history_00-02a-png\/\"><img data-dominant-color=\"e5e2d5\" data-has-transparency=\"false\" style=\"--dominant-color: #e5e2d5;\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\"  srcset=\"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2022\/02\/PP_2021.08.12_racial-history_00-02a.png?resize=480,587 480w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2022\/02\/PP_2021.08.12_racial-history_00-02a.png?resize=620,758 620w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 480px) 480px, (max-width: 782px) 782px, 640px\" height=\"379\" width=\"310\" src=\"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2022\/02\/PP_2021.08.12_racial-history_00-02a.png?w=310\" alt=\"A chart showing that those who say \u2018a lot\u2019 more is needed to ensure racial equality are split over what needs to be done to make changes\" class=\"wp-image-13743 not-transparent\" \/><\/a><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The share of Americans who say that addressing issues around race is an important priority this year has fallen from 49% in early 2021 to 37% this year. Black adults (66%) are more likely than either White (27%) or Hispanic adults (47%) to say this should be a top priority. There is also a partisan divide: 53% of Democrats say this should be a top priority, compared with 14% of Republicans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Half of all adults said in <a href=\"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/politics\/2021\/08\/12\/deep-divisions-in-americans-views-of-nations-racial-history-and-how-to-address-it\/\">a July 2021 survey<\/a> that \u201ca lot\u201d more needs to be done to ensure equal rights for all Americans regardless of their race or ethnicity. About as many said either that a little (34%) or nothing at all (15%) needs to be done. Around a quarter of adults (24%) said that while there are many inequities in U.S. laws and institutions, necessary changes can be made by working within the current systems, while roughly as many (25%) said that most laws and major institutions need to be completely rebuilt because they are fundamentally biased against some racial and ethnic groups.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"rising-concerns-about-health-care-costs\"><strong>Rising concerns about health care costs<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">About six-in-ten Americans (61%) say that reducing health care costs should be a top policy priority for the president and Congress this year, according to <a href=\"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/politics\/2022\/02\/16\/publics-top-priority-for-2022-strengthening-the-nations-economy\/\">the January survey<\/a>. This is a leading priority for Democrats, 69% of whom view it as a top priority; only dealing with the coronavirus ranks higher (80%). Fewer Republicans (53%) identify lowering health care costs as a top priority.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In a <a href=\"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/politics\/2022\/01\/25\/biden-starts-year-two-with-diminished-public-support-and-a-daunting-list-of-challenges\/\">separate January 2022 survey<\/a>, 55% of Americans said the cost of health care is worse now than it was a year ago, and a larger share of Americans said they agreed with the Democratic Party\u2019s health care policies than with the Republican Party\u2019s (42% vs. 26%).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"declining-supreme-court-favorability\"><strong>Declining Supreme Court favorability<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"alignright size-310-wide\"><a rel=\"attachment wp-att-13738\" href=\"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/short-reads\/2022\/02\/25\/state-of-the-union-2022-how-americans-view-major-national-issues\/pp_22-02-02_views-of-scotus_00-01a-png\/\"><img data-dominant-color=\"f4f3f2\" data-has-transparency=\"false\" style=\"--dominant-color: #f4f3f2;\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\"  srcset=\"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2022\/02\/PP_22.02.02_views-of-SCOTUS_00-01a.png?resize=480,612 480w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2022\/02\/PP_22.02.02_views-of-SCOTUS_00-01a.png?resize=620,790 620w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 480px) 480px, (max-width: 782px) 782px, 640px\" height=\"395\" width=\"310\" src=\"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2022\/02\/PP_22.02.02_views-of-SCOTUS_00-01a.png?w=310\" alt=\"A line graph showing that favorable ratings of Supreme Court have declined sharply in past year\" class=\"wp-image-13738 not-transparent\" \/><\/a><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The public\u2019s views of the court are as negative as they have been in many years. Democrats have expressed increasingly unfavorable opinions, according to a <a href=\"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/politics\/2022\/02\/02\/publics-views-of-supreme-court-turned-more-negative-before-news-of-breyers-retirement\/\">survey conducted in early January<\/a>, before Justice Stephen Breyer announced his retirement and Biden reiterated his&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.reuters.com\/world\/us\/retiring-us-justice-breyer-appear-with-biden-white-house-2022-01-27\/\">pledge to nominate the first Black woman to the Supreme Court<\/a>. The survey also found that the overall public sees the court as more ideologically conservative than two years ago, and that view is particularly true of Democrats.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A slim majority of U.S. adults (54%) said in January that they have a favorable opinion of the Supreme Court while 44% have an unfavorable view. Over the past three years, the share of adults with a favorable view of the court has declined 15 points, driven largely by a drop-off among Democrats. Last year, 65% of Democrats said they had a favorable view of the court. Today, that number has fallen to 46%. Among liberal Democrats, just 36% view the court positively, down from 57%.&nbsp;Around two-thirds of Republicans (65%) hold a positive view of the court, largely unchanged since last year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"americans-see-hardening-of-partisan-lines\"><strong>Americans see hardening of partisan lines<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"alignright size-310-wide\"><a rel=\"attachment wp-att-13736\" href=\"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/short-reads\/2022\/02\/25\/state-of-the-union-2022-how-americans-view-major-national-issues\/pp_2022-01-25_biden-year-two_00-03a-png\/\"><img data-dominant-color=\"eeebe2\" data-has-transparency=\"false\" style=\"--dominant-color: #eeebe2;\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\"  srcset=\"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2022\/02\/PP_2022.01.25_biden-year-two_00-03a.png?resize=480,743 480w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2022\/02\/PP_2022.01.25_biden-year-two_00-03a.png?resize=620,960 620w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 480px) 480px, (max-width: 782px) 782px, 640px\" height=\"480\" width=\"310\" src=\"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2022\/02\/PP_2022.01.25_biden-year-two_00-03a.png?w=310\" alt=\"A bar chart showing that increasing shares in both parties want leaders to \u2018stand up\u2019 to the opposition\" class=\"wp-image-13736 not-transparent\" \/><\/a><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Congress continues to face gridlock on a variety of issues, and members of both political parties are less willing than they were a year ago to support concessions from their parties\u2019 leaders to achieve results, a <a href=\"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/politics\/2022\/01\/25\/biden-starts-year-two-with-diminished-public-support-and-a-daunting-list-of-challenges\/\">January survey found<\/a>. Nearly half of Democrats (48%) want Biden to \u201cstand up\u201d to Republicans on issues important to his voters, even if it makes it harder to address key problems \u2013 an increase from the 37% who said this last year, shortly before his inauguration. About three-quarters of Republicans (72%) want GOP leaders to stand up to Biden, up 13 points from last year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Partisanship is also evident when it comes to the work of a select committee in the Democratic-controlled House to investigate the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol. In the <a href=\"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/short-reads\/2022\/02\/08\/fewer-americans-now-say-trump-bears-a-lot-of-responsibility-for-the-jan-6-riot\/\">January 2022<\/a> survey, 45% of Americans overall said they are at least somewhat confident that the committee\u2019s investigation is fair and reasonable while 54% said they are not too or not at all confident that this is the case. Among Republicans, 79% said they have little or no confidence in the fairness of the Jan. 6 committee\u2019s investigation, including 46% who have no confidence at all. By contrast, 65% of Democrats said they are at least somewhat confident that the investigation is fair and reasonable, and 27% said they are very confident.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Here&#8217;s a look at public opinion on some of the key issues facing the country, drawn from recent Pew Research Center surveys.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":584,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"sub_headline":"","sub_title":"","_prc_public_revisions":[],"_ppp_expiration_hours":0,"_ppp_enabled":false,"ai_generated_summary":"","apple_news_api_created_at":"2022-02-25T15:33:38Z","apple_news_api_id":"276f5832-5f94-451d-b729-c2a8844dd5f9","apple_news_api_modified_at":"2022-02-25T15:33:39Z","apple_news_api_revision":"AAAAAAAAAAD\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/w==","apple_news_api_share_url":"https:\/\/apple.news\/AJ29YMl-URR23KcKohE3V-Q","apple_news_cover_media_provider":"image","apple_news_coverimage":0,"apple_news_coverimage_caption":"","apple_news_cover_video_id":0,"apple_news_cover_video_url":"","apple_news_cover_embedwebvideo_url":"","apple_news_is_hidden":false,"apple_news_is_paid":"","apple_news_is_preview":false,"apple_news_is_sponsored":"","apple_news_maturity_rating":"","apple_news_metadata":"\"\"","apple_news_pullquote":"","apple_news_pullquote_position":"","apple_news_slug":"","apple_news_suppress_video_url":false,"apple_news_use_image_component":false,"apple_news_api_pending":"1713063381","relatedPosts":[{"key":"_hab9yjh07","link":"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/politics\/2022\/02\/16\/publics-top-priority-for-2022-strengthening-the-nations-economy\/","postId":406304,"title":"Public\u2019s Top Priority for 2022: Strengthening the Nation\u2019s Economy","permalink":"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/politics\/2022\/02\/16\/publics-top-priority-for-2022-strengthening-the-nations-economy\/","date":"2022-02-16 15:01:44","label":"Report"},{"key":"_k4u33o5cw","link":"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/short-reads\/2022\/01\/18\/a-growing-share-of-americans-say-affordable-housing-is-a-major-problem-where-they-live\/","postId":404875,"title":"A growing share of Americans say affordable housing is a major problem where they live","permalink":"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/short-reads\/2022\/01\/18\/a-growing-share-of-americans-say-affordable-housing-is-a-major-problem-where-they-live\/","date":"2022-01-18 14:58:41","label":"Short Read"},{"key":"_lvya9rwmu","link":"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/politics\/2021\/02\/24\/majority-of-americans-confident-in-bidens-handling-of-foreign-policy-as-term-begins\/","postId":385712,"title":"Majority of Americans Confident in Biden\u2019s Handling of Foreign Policy as Term Begins","permalink":"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/politics\/2021\/02\/24\/majority-of-americans-confident-in-bidens-handling-of-foreign-policy-as-term-begins\/","date":"2021-02-24 09:50:12","label":"Report"}],"datacite_doi":"","datacite_doi_citation":"","_prc_seo_qr_attachment_id":0,"spoken_article_player_enabled":true,"displayBylines":true,"footnotes":"","prc_watchers":[],"_prc_fork_parent":0,"_prc_fork_status":"","_prc_active_fork":0},"categories":[93,383],"bylines":[850],"collection":[],"datasets":[],"_post_visibility":[],"formats":[467],"_fund_pool":[],"languages":[],"regions-countries":[515],"research-teams":[],"workflow-status":[],"class_list":["post-8654","short-read","type-short-read","status-publish","hentry","category-issue-priorities","category-joe-biden","bylines-katherine-schaeffer","formats-short-read","regions-countries-united-states"],"label":"Short Read","post_parent":0,"word_count":1817,"canonical_url":"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/short-reads\/2022\/02\/25\/state-of-the-union-2022-how-americans-view-major-national-issues\/","art_direction":{"A1":{"id":13776,"rawUrl":"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2022\/02\/FT_22.02.22_SOTU_feature-jpg.webp","url":"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2022\/02\/FT_22.02.22_SOTU_feature-jpg.webp?w=564&h=317&crop=1","width":564,"height":317,"caption":"Members of Congress stand as President Joe Biden arrives to deliver his address to a joint session on April 28, 2021. 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(Caroline Brehman\/CQ-Roll Call\/Getty Images) ","chartArt":false}},"_embeds":[],"watchers":[],"table_of_contents":[],"datacite_doi":"","prc_seo_data":{"title":"State of the Union 2022: How Americans view major national issues","description":"Here's a look at public opinion on some of the key issues facing the country, drawn from recent Pew Research Center surveys.","og_title":"State of the Union 2022: How Americans view major national issues","og_description":"Here's a look at public opinion on some of the key issues facing the country, drawn from recent Pew Research Center surveys.","schema_type":"Article","noindex":false,"canonical_url":"","primary_terms":{"regions-countries":10822328},"custom_schema":[],"twitter_title":"State of the Union 2022: How Americans view major national issues","twitter_description":"Here's a look at public opinion on some of the key issues facing the country, drawn from recent Pew Research Center 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