Inflation up, virus down as priorities in US: AP-NORC poll

By WILL WEISSERT and HANNAH FINGERHUT
Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — The coronavirus pandemic is beginning to recede as a top priority in the minds of Americans. It’s increasingly overshadowed by concerns about the economy and personal finances, particularly inflation. That potentially spells political trouble for Democrats heading into the midterm elections. A poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research finds just 37% of Americans say COVID-19 is a top priority for the government to work on in 2022, compared with 53% who said it was at the start of last year. Instead, 68% of Americans polled named the economy as government’s top concern, while 14% mentioned inflation — including 18% of Republicans and 10% of Democrats.