Opinion Today

June 16, 2022

Fox News Poll: Voters voice strong support for gun reform
Victoria Balara, Fox News
After a series of recent mass shootings, the latest Fox News national survey shows bipartisan support for a range of gun reform laws, especially background checks on all gun buyers.

Fox News Poll: More voters put trust in Republicans to handle inflation, crime
Dana Blanton, Fox News
A large majority of voters say the economy is in bad shape. Two-thirds are pessimistic about conditions. Gas and grocery prices are a major problem for most families. And a growing number of voters feel they are losing ground financially. That’s the grim backdrop for the upcoming midterm elections, according to the latest Fox News national survey.

Half of Americans now predict U.S. may 'cease to be a democracy' someday
Andrew Romano, Yahoo News
A new Yahoo News/YouGov poll shows that most Democrats (55%) and Republicans (53%) now believe it is “likely” that America will “cease to be a democracy in the future” — a stunning expression of bipartisan despair about the direction of the country.

Voter Support for Stricter Gun Control Reaches New High
Eli Yokley, Morning Consult
As Congress moves closer than it has in years to passing gun safety legislation following the recent mass shootings in Texas and New York, a new Morning Consult/Politico survey shows voter support for gun control has reached a new high.

One in four Americans think we're in a recession worse than 2008’s
Kathy Frankovic & Taylor Orth, YouGov
For many Americans, the country is in a recession, and it is personal. In the latest Economist/YouGov Poll, more than half of Americans say the country is in a recession — when posed the question directly. When given a number of options — that the country's economy is growing, stable, slowing down, or in a recession — 43% choose recession and an additional 33% say the economy is slowing down.

More Americans now say Russia is winning the war than say Ukraine is
Taylor Orth & Kathy Frankovic, YouGov
Data from the latest Economist/YouGov poll finds that Americans have grown more pessimistic when it comes to Ukraine’s path to victory.

Ipsos Core Political: President Biden's approval rating at 39%
Ipsos
This week’s Ipsos Core Political has President Biden with a 39% approval rating, a 13-point decrease from this time last year when he stood at 52%. Nearly one-third of Americans (32%) believe the economy is the most important problem facing the U.S. today, an 11-point increase from this time last year.

Older Adults Sacrificing Basic Needs Due to Healthcare Costs
Nicole Willcoxon, Gallup
The health problems Americans start facing when they reach 50 years of age are compounded when the high cost of healthcare prevents them from seeking treatment, taking their prescriptions or leading an otherwise healthy lifestyle. A survey of U.S. adults conducted by West Health and Gallup explored the various ways in which healthcare costs are affecting Americans aged 50 and older today.

Pennsylvania: Democrats lead in races for Senate, governor
Suffolk University
Democrat John Fetterman currently holds a lead over Mehmet Oz, his Republican opponent for US Senate, according to a Suffolk University/USA TODAY network poll of likely midterm voters. In the governor’s race, Democrat Josh Shapiro (44%) led Republican Doug Mastriano (40%).

Texas: Governor's Race Tightens In Wake Of School Mass Shooting
Quinnipiac University Poll
In the race for governor, 48 percent of voters support Republican incumbent Greg Abbott, while 43 percent support Democratic challenger Beto O'Rourke, according to a Quinnipiac University Poll. Voters give President Joe Biden a negative 33 - 61 percent job approval rating and Governor Abbott a mixed job approval rating, with 46 percent approving and 48 percent disapproving.

Governors: Escaping Public’s Wrath Even as So Many Others Draw Ire
Louis Jacobson, Sabato’s Crystal Ball
Virtually every measurement of public opinion shows that Americans are in a foul mood about their political leaders and institutions. But one group seems to have escaped this wrath: governors.

Egad! It’s a guide to the 2022 midterms
Walter Shapiro, Roll Call
Just four months until early voting begins in earnest, the issue contours of the election are coming into focus. And they spell the letters in EGAD — the economy, guns, abortion and democracy.

Inflation could put election deniers in charge of our democracy
E.J. Dionne Jr., Washington Post
Moderate independents and Republicans must be willing to put free elections before their anger over high prices.

Will 2022 tell us about 2024?
Mark Mellman (Mellman Group), The Hill
While no one knows exactly how bad this year will be for Democrats, every serious analyst recognizes 2022 is unlikely to be good for my party. Whatever the precise outcome, too many will blithely assume that the 2022 results will yield significant insights into President Biden’s prospects in 2024. History makes clear that 2022 will tell us nothing about the outcome of the next presidential election. 

The New National Congressional Map Is Biased Toward Republicans
Nathaniel Rakich, FiveThirtyEight
Neither party was a clear winner in redistricting, but competition and people of color definitely lost.

Biden officials may change how the U.S. defines racial and ethnic groups by 2024
Hansi Lo Wang, NPR News
The Biden administration is taking steps that could change how the U.S. census and federal surveys produce racial and ethnic data that is used for redrawing voting districts, enforcing civil rights protections, policymaking and research. The multiyear process is likely to carry out long-awaited data policy changes that will particularly affect how Latinos and people of Middle Eastern or North African descent are counted in statistics around the country.

Gun Deal & Jan. 6 Hearings: What the Polls Say
Poll Hub podcast, Marist Institute for Public Opinion
Weeks after the mass shootings in Buffalo and Uvalde, we take a closer look at our recent polling data on guns with CNN and Atlantic contributor Ron Brownstein. Then, Ron helps us answer the question, "Will the January 6th hearings make any difference to most Americans?" Finally, Ron goes Hollywood with his new book on the intersection of pop culture and politics in 70s L.A.

More Trouble For Democrats In The Rio Grande Valley
FiveThirtyEight Politics podcast
Republican Mayra Flores won the special election in Texas’s 34th Congressional District on Tuesday, avoiding a runoff and flipping the longtime Democratic seat in Texas’s Rio Grande Valley. The crew recaps that race and other notable results from the June 14 primaries.