By Corinne Murdock |
A recent poll revealed that 97 percent of Arizona voters were concerned about the price of gas, and 80 percent were concerned with supply shortages.
Phoenix-based OH Predictive Insights released those findings on Wednesday, part of an Arizona Public Opinion Pulse (AZPOP) conducted last month over the course of a week.
Those who expressed concern over the gas prices weren’t hopeful about the future costs. 91 percent expected gas prices to increase by next month. That’s more pessimism than expressed in previous polls. In a March AZPOP study, 80 percent of Arizonans anticipated an increase in gas prices.
The average gas price in Arizona is over $4.97 as of press time.
Although Arizonans share similar perspectives on the state of gas prices, they don’t agree on who’s to blame. 36 percent of Arizonans identified President Joe Biden as the reason for rising gas prices, whereas 26 percent blamed oil companies and the remaining 23 percent blamed the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine.
Gas prices present a bipartisan issue, with both Republican and Democratic leadership expressing criticism over Biden’s handling of the rising costs.
Senator Mark Kelly (D-AZ) told KOLD that the Biden administration and Congress have options to curb the crisis, insinuating that they weren’t taking all necessary and available action.
“There are levers we can pull here to lower the cost,” stated Kelly. “I’ve asked the administration to increase production [….] They’ve done some but it’s not happening fast enough.”
Concerning the supply chain crisis, 52 percent of Arizona voters reported that it impacted them directly. 43 percent said they weren’t affected directly. 86 percent of those concerned made over $100,000 a year; 90 percent were homemakers, and 80 percent were suburban women.
According to the Department of Labor’s Consumer Price Index, Phoenix area prices increased 2.5 percent from February to April — a total increase of 11 percent from one year ago. Food prices increased by nearly two percent those two months, and 8.6 percent over the last year. Energy prices increased nearly 13 percent those two months, and 32.6 percent over the last year.
A Pew Research study released while the latest AZPOP study was underway revealed that the rest of the nation concurred with Arizonans that inflation is the most pressing issue.
Corinne Murdock is a reporter for AZ Free News. Follow her latest on Twitter, or email tips to corinne@azfreenews.com.
