United States: In this time of conflict, more Americans believe foreign policy should be a primary priority for the US government in 2024, according to a new poll, with international problems and immigration gaining popularity.
Foreign policy takes center stage
According to a December poll from the Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research, around four in ten US adults identified foreign policy issues in an open-ended question, asking individuals to share up to five issues for the government to work on in the next year.
Long-standing economic concerns continue to dominate other issues. However, the findings of the current poll indicate that Americans are becoming more concerned about their country’s participation in foreign affairs – 20 percent expressed anxiety in the survey, up from 5 percent a year earlier.
It also demonstrated that the Israeli-Hamas conflict is increasing public fear. The conflict was noted by 5 percent of those polled, whereas nearly no one mentioned it a year ago. Since Israel started war on Hamas in Gaza following the group’s October 7 attack on Israeli soil, the subject has dominated geopolitics.
The crisis between Russia and Ukraine was identified by 4 percent of US citizens as something their government should focus on this year. This is comparable to the 6% percent who mentioned it at the end of 2022.
Bipartisan Shift
Foreign policy has been more important to respondents from both parties. Republicans named it 46 percent of the time, up from 23 percent the previous year. Furthermore, international policy is a crucial topic for 34 percent of Democrats, up from 16 percent a year earlier.
Warren E Capito, a Republican from Gordonsville, Virginia, is concerned that China may soon attack Taiwan, introducing the United States into a third major potential source of world conflict. “They would love to have us split three ways,” he said of China, adding that “we’re already spread so thin.” Immigration is another growing bipartisan issue.
Immigration on the rise
Overall, concerns about immigration rose to 35 percent, up from 27 percent last year, according to the poll. 55 percent of Republicans believe the government should prioritize immigration in 2024, while 22 percent of Democrats agree. This has risen from 45 percent and 14 percent in December 2022, respectively.
“The border situation has deteriorated in recent years,” said Janet Brewer, who spent her whole life in San Diego, across from Tijuana, Mexico.
Foreign military aid and immigration policy are intertwined, with President Joe Biden’s administration promoting a US$110 billion package that includes aid for Ukraine and Israel that has yet to pass Congress, while Republicans push for a deal that allows major changes in immigration policy and stricter enforcement along the US-Mexico border.
Brewer has stated that she will not vote for Biden or a Republican for president in 2024, instead favoring independent Robert F. Kennedy Jr. However, she doubts that a shift in the White House will inevitably enhance immigration policy.
Even when concerns about immigration and foreign policy mounted, they were no match for concerns about the economy. Even though inflation has declined, unemployment is low, and the United States has consistently defied predictions of a recession, this survey added to a long line of them, indicating a bleak prognosis for the economy.
Economy remains paramount
Last year, 76 percent of US people indicated they want the government to concentrate on economic concerns in 2024, roughly the same as 75 percent said the previous year.
The economy is a key concern for approximately 85 percent of Republicans and 65 percent of Democrats. However, Republicans are more likely than Democrats to want the government to solve specific economic issues: 41 percent vs. 22 percent on inflation and 22 percent vs. 7 percent on government expenditure or debt.
Meanwhile, three in ten US adults, unchanged from 2022, said the government should focus on inflation.
The economy is the most frequently mentioned problem by 18 to 29-year-olds (84 percent), followed by inflation (39 percent), personal finances (38 percent), and foreign policy (34 percent). In the same age group, 32 percent said the government should focus on education or school loans in 2024. This is despite the Biden administration’s new, more modest efforts to cancel debts following the Supreme Court’s rejection of its larger original endeavor.
Only 19 percent of people aged 30 and up mention student loans. However, Travis Brown, a 32-year-old forklift operator in Las Vegas, has reported that he is once again receiving calls demanding payment on his college debts, according to the Associated Press.
“Right now, with the economy, wages are not matching,” Brown said. “Blue collar’s going away, and I don’t see how that will boost the economy. An economy thrives off the working class. Not off the rich.”
“I care about others, I do,” he said. “But when you sit here and say, ‘I just sent $50 million over to Israel,’ and then I go outside, and I see half a neighborhood rundown … you’ve got to take care of the home.”
One possible clue that broader economic morale is improving is that overall mentions of personal financial concerns have decreased significantly, with 30 percent citing them currently compared to 37 percent last year. Drops happened for Democrats (27 percent vs 33 percent in 2022) and Republicans (30 percent vs 37 percent in 2022).
Uncertain future and political disillusionment
Only 5 percent of US citizens are “extremely” or “very” sure that the federal government will progress on the country’s major challenges and issues in 2024, with seven percent (7%) of Democrats and 11 percent of independents hopeful, compared to one percent (1%) of Republicans.
Brown is a Democrat, but he is disillusioned enough to consider skipping the presidential election, especially if it is a rematch between Biden and former President Donald Trump, who has a commanding early lead in the 2024 Republican primary.
“I don’t think I will participate, and maybe that’s bad,” Brown said. “But it’s like, you’re losing faith.”