Beer Institute Poll: Entering Super Bowl week, a Majority of 2022 Battleground Voters Throw a Penalty Flag on Inflation and 232 Tariffs

WASHINGTON — A majority of registered voters – 55 percent – in six key battleground states support a repeal of the 232 aluminum and steel tariffs, according to a recent poll conducted by Bully Pulpit Interactive and commissioned by the Beer Institute. Driven by soaring inflation, 55 percent of voters name the cost of living as a top concern and 86 percent of voters say the cost of living is headed in the wrong direction. Further, 31 percent of respondents planning to watch the Super Bowl said they are adjusting their plans because of cost concerns.

“As U.S. inflation hits record highs, American voters are making it clear that policies that increase the cost of goods – like the tariffs on aluminum and steel – are unpopular,” said Jim McGreevy, president and CEO of the Beer Institute. “American manufacturers, including those in the beer industry, are part of a global, interconnected economy. Tariffs increase American consumers’ costs and make American goods less competitive as foreign governments introduce retaliatory measures. Repealing the aluminum and steel tariffs will decrease the cost of everyday goods and will provide immediate relief for American families and businesses still recovering from the pandemic.”

Key highlights from the poll:

• When asked to list their top two concerns, 55% of voters said the cost of living, 39% said health care, and 23% said jobs and unemployment.
• Looking at just economic issues, 79% said rising prices are the biggest problem facing the U.S. economy right now.
• A large majority, 77%, of voters in these states are concerned about affording food for their families. Further, half of voters, 51%, are very concerned about affording groceries and food.
• Nearly a third, 31% of those who plan to watch the Super Bowl, say they are making some change to their plans, including spending less on food and drinks.

In sum, the January survey reveals that voters’ significant economic anxieties tied to inflation translates to more support for repealing tariffs. As prices continue to rise, the issue of tariffs has the potential to be a potent political argument for 2022 battleground candidates.

There are more than 6,400 active breweries in the United States, supporting more than two million American jobs. Imported primary aluminum and cansheet are critical to the beer industry as more than 74 percent of all beer produced in the United States is packaged in aluminum cans and bottles. In 2020, brewers bought more than 41 billion aluminum cans and bottles, making aluminum the single largest input cost in American beer manufacturing.

Methodology

Bully Pulpit Interactive (BPI) conducted a survey online among 800 registered voters, age 21+ in 2022 battleground states (AZ, NV, NH, GA, WI, and NC) between January 10-15, 2022. Controls were set across state, gender, age, race and education so that the sample was representative of registered voters across the battleground universe. While margin of error calculations do not apply to online samples, the margin of error on a truly random sample of 800 is +/-3.5 percentage points at the 95% confidence interval.

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