Crime, social security & unemployment: What plagues the mind of American voter ahead of US elections 2024

With 63 days left for the US Presidential Elections on November 5, 2024, Google Trends data shows a host of topics the average American has been searching for. Social security and crime ranked top on the list, followed by unemployment and health care.

US Vice President and Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris and Republican nominee Donald Trump have been witnessing a neck-and-neck contest ahead of the final polls, according to reports. Here's how the country stands on the top four searched issues ahead of their electoral battle.

Social Security

According to Google Trends data, search interest in social security was highest in Mississippi and lowest in Utah.

A study by the US Government Accountability(GAO) office stated that social security provides cash benefits to over 66 million American retirees, people with disabilities, and others.

For many retirees, these benefits make up a substantial portion of their monthly retirement income, especially for people with low earnings.

The GAO has found out that the Social Security Administration (SSA) has been paying out more than it has been receiving on taxes, since 2023. If such a trend continues, the final estimates would be exhausted by 2033, stated the GOA report.

Crime rates in the US

A study by the Pew Research Center has shown that ‘six in ten US adults’, i.e. around 58 per cent of the American population, believe that reducing crime should be one of the President's biggest priorities.

Search interest in ‘Crime’ ranked top in the region of Washington D.C., while in Hawaii it was the least, showed Google Trends.

According to the latest statistics that have been made available by the FBI, property crime in the US is much more common than violent crimes. In 2022, the FBI reported a total of 1,954.4 property crimes per 100,000 people, as compared to 380.7 violent crimes per 100,000 people, according to the Pew report.

In addition, theft and burglary were the most popular property crimes, stated the Pew Research report.

Unemployment on the rise

Unemployment has been on the rise in the United States. According to data by the US Bureau of Labour Statistics released in August 2024, the national unemployment rate rose by 0.2 percentage point over to 4.3 per cent. It is 0.8 percentage point higher than in July 2023, showed the data.

Search interests for unemployment ranked the highest in New Jersey, while it gained the least traction in South Dakota.

Health care priced highest

According to a research carried out by The Commonwealth foundation, health care spending, in terms of per person and as a share of GDP, continues to be far higher in the United States, as compared to other countries. Yet, is the only country that doesn’t have universal health coverage, showed the research.

Furthermore, the US has reported the lowest life expectancy at birth, the highest death rates for avoidable or treatable conditions, and the highest maternal and infant mortality, the study mentioned.

Google Trends showed that search interest in health care was highest in Utah and lowest in North Dakota.