A new poll from Axios and Ipsos shows that Republicans rate opioids as the No. 1 threat to public health in the United States.
When asked what "is the current greatest threat to U.S. public health," opioids and fentanyl were the top choice among Republicans, followed by obesity and then cancer. For Democrats, access to guns or firearms was seen as the top threat, followed by opioids/fentanyl, and obesity.
- Opioids/fentanyl: 17% Democrats, 37% Republicans, 26% overall.
- Obesity: 17% Democrats, 25% Republicans, 21% overall.
- Guns or firearm access: 35% Democrats, 4% Republicans, 17% overall.
- Cancer: 9% Democrats, 17% Republicans, 12% overall.
The poll also found that the vast majority of Americans agree that private health insurance companies should cover weight-loss drugs and a $35 per month cap on out-of-pocket insulin costs.
Almost half of Americans, 47%, support insurance companies covering transgender-related medical care, with 3-in-4 Democrats agreeing and less than 1-in-5 Republicans in favor.
"Like everything else, public health is a tale of two Americas — one red, one blue," Cliff Young, president of Ipsos U.S. Public Affairs, said in a statement. "Governments must be nimble to talk about multiple public health issues at once."
The Axios/Ipsos Poll surveyed 1,213 adults 18 and older across the country from February 17-21, 2023 with a margin of error of +/- 3 percentage points.
Theodore Bunker ✉
Theodore Bunker, a Newsmax writer, has more than a decade covering news, media, and politics.
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