Professor Erik Gordon Says Financial Times Poll Results Indicate Inflation is Biggest Concern for Voters

When asked how voters are feeling about the economy, Gordon said, “They're not feeling great about it. Only about 20% of them say that they're better off since Mr. Biden became president, versus 48% saying they're worse off. And amongst independent voters, those are the voters who might swing the election, the number is even gloomier. 62% say they're worse off.”

“The number one driver of the perception of the economy is inflation. That's what the voters list as their number one issue: price increases in food, everyday necessities, and gas prices. That's what's driving their view that the economy is not doing well. And that's what's driving their view that they're not doing well.”

“The employment numbers are interesting because they don't seem to affect the voters. The voters don't list job insecurity, ‘I'm worried about my job, I need a job,’ as a big issue for them. It's actually fairly far down the list. So if those numbers are interpreted as being good, it might not move the needle in the campaign.”

“There’s one [polling result] that surprised me. Electric vehicles. Remember the waiting list to get one? Only 39% of us say we're even willing to consider getting one. Considerably less than half. I suppose that might be why the car companies have cut back, but the craze for EVs seems to have died out. And there's an interesting finding about artificial intelligence, a lot of talk of concern about that. Half of us say, ‘Don’t do anything rash, government.’ It's an important issue. Study it carefully before you do anything. But about one out of four of us say, ‘It's really dangerous. Regulate it. Regulate it tomorrow.’”