Gallup: Inflation, immigration among top concerns to U.S. voters

March 29 (UPI) -- Inflation and immigration are among the top issues at the front of American's minds going into the 2024 presidential election, according to Gallup.

Gallup's yearly environmental poll conducted earlier this month found 55% of Americans worry "a great deal" about inflation, making it the top issue among 14 issues presented in the survey.

Illegal immigration was No. 7 on the list, with 48% of Americans saying they worry "a great deal."

When asked unprompted what their top concern was, however, 28% of respondents said immigration, and 11% said inflation.

Environmental issues, race relations and unemployment were the least on Americans minds, with less than 40% of respondents saying they were worried about each.

Issues such as poverty, homelessness and crime, despite being among the highest rated concerns when presented directly, were least mentioned as top-of-mind concerns.

U.S. consumer inflation rose slightly in February, with personal consumption expenditures up by 0.3% from the previous month and 2.5% over last year.

Food prices rose 0.1% in February, with energy prices up 2.3%.

While still a top priority this year, concerns over inflation diminished by six points over the past year. Public concern over illegal immigration, meanwhile, grew by seven percentage points over last year.

Despite the fact that congressional Republicans recently sank a bipartisan immigration plan in an effort to help former President Donald Trump, public opinion on immigration could hurt President Joe Biden during the general election, as a survey from the New York Times and Sienna College found 78% of respondents believed the situation at the southern border is a major concern, including 66% of Democrats.