Those who see terrorism or immigration as “the most important issue” in 2020 number fewer than half of those in the 2019 count, according to a poll released Friday by Hill-HarrisX.
Only 4 percent of U.S. voters believe that immigration is the top issue in 2020, compared to 10 percent last year. Terrorism was found to be the nation’s primary concern by only 3 percent of respondents, far fewer than the 12 percent registered in 2019.
Respondents were most likely to pick the pandemic as this year’s key issue, with COVID-19 chosen by 30 percent of those queried. The second most popular choice was the economy, seen as the biggest issue by 14 percent of respondents, up from 10 percent last year.
Race relations were chosen as the key issue by 12 percent of respondents, a massive increase from 2 percent in 2019. The issue was cited most often among Black respondents, with 30 percent choosing it as their primary concern. Only 9 percent of whites saw race as the leading issue, with 13 percent of Hispanics agreeing.
The poll comes after issues of racism and police brutality were catapulted into the national spotlight following the May 25 death of George Floyd, an unarmed Black man who died after his neck was pinned to the ground by a white police officer for nearly 9 minutes.
The economy is also a timely issue, with the nation facing a recession and high levels of unemployment following the initial phase of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, which medical experts believe is likely to last well into 2021.
“You have all of this discontent percolating,” pollster and assistant sociology professor at the Xavier University of Louisiana Dr. Silas Lee told Hill TV. “That is contributing to this sense of anxiety that we have to address the social ills that haven’t been addressed adequately in the past.”
The poll surveyed 946 registered voters online on June 16 and 17. Results were weighted to bring the demographic makeup of respondents in line with the overall U.S. population. The poll has a margin of error of 3.16 percent.
Although voters may be less concerned about immigration than in the past, President Donald Trump has continued to focus on the issue as he has done throughout his presidency. He was dealt a blow on Thursday by the Supreme Court, which ruled against the administration’s attempt to shoot down the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals policy.
Trump has also attempted to paint some of those participating in protests against racial injustice and police brutality as “terrorists,” singling out “Antifa” despite the term being a loose descriptor of protesters opposing fascism rather than a group with a clearly defined membership.
Newsweek reached out to the White House for comment but did not receive a response in time for publication.
