No Matter How You Slice It, Food Prices Land on Biden’s Plate
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Key Takeaways
- Americans are talking about inflation more and they’re feeling worse about it in recent months.
- Most Americans blame the Biden administration while some Democrats defend by pointing to complexity and things Biden can’t control.
- Average annual food-at-home prices were 5% higher in 2023 than in 2022.
Our Methodology
Demographics
All Voters
Sample Size
134,000
Geographical Breakdown
National
Time Period
78 Days
MIG Reports leverages EyesOver technology, employing Advanced AI for precise analysis. This ensures unparalleled precision, setting a new standard. Find out more about the unique data pull for this article.
Online discussions about food price increases since Joe Biden took office are heavily influenced by political affiliation, socioeconomic status, and geographical location.
- Discussion volume regarding inflation has increased in the past few days, suggesting high costs are on Americans’ minds.
- Average sentiment on inflation since the beginning of 2024 has averaged 47% but has dropped around 1% in the last week.
- MIG Reports data shows a trend of increased discussion coupled with decreased sentiment.
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At-home food prices increased 5% from 2022 to 2023. They’re up 25% overall since 2019, severely impacting American families’ food prices and their views on inflation. Some of the influencing factors on prices include:
- Supply chain disruptions, weather events, energy costs, trade policies, currency exchange rates, subsidies, and demand-side factors.
- Political policies such as trade agreements, tariffs, energy policies, and agricultural subsidies.
- Government decisions regarding international trade, energy regulation, agricultural support, and currency management can contribute to price volatility and impact the affordability of food for consumers.
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How Voter Groups and Demographics View Food Inflation
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Many Republicans, according to online discussion, opinion pieces, and televised interviews, are attributing the rise in food prices to President Biden's policy changes. They cite the administration's increased spending, supply chain disruptions, and inflation as key reasons for the escalating costs. This group often uses the term "Bidenflation" or "Bidenomics" to describe this phenomenon, emphasizing their belief that Biden's economic policies are directly responsible for the increased prices.
Democrats generally defend Biden, asserting that the food price increases are a result of global factors beyond the control of any one administration. They point to what they believe is an ongoing COVID pandemic, global supply chain issues, and climate change impacting agricultural yields as major contributors. They argue that these problems were inherited from previous administrations. They assert it will take time for Biden's policies to take effect and alleviate these issues.
Independents seem to be of mixed opinion. Some align with Republicans in blaming Biden's policies, while others agree with Democrats that the rising prices are due to more global and systemic issues. Regardless of what they believe is the cause, most people express frustration with the situation and increasingly high costs.
Various demographic groups have varying views. Lower-income individuals and families, who are most impacted by rising food prices, express concern and frustration. But there's no clear consensus on who they believe is to blame. Some point to the Biden administration, while others blame systemic issues or corporate greed.
Geographically, individuals in high cost-of-living urban areas are expressing more concern about the rising food prices. Rural areas, especially farming communities, are also voicing concerns, as the price increases are impacting their livelihood.
Overall, every Americans seem concerned about the economy and their financial survival. Differences become apparent only in various views about what’s causing higher prices.
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