The Week in Charts

Tuesday, August 16, 2022

The Week in Charts

Welcome to The Week in Charts, where we break down Gallup's latest insights on our constantly evolving world. Here are the five insights you shouldn't miss this week:

1. Americans Cutting Spending to Cover Healthcare Costs

Bar Chart: Four in 10 Americans say that rising healthcare costs have caused them to cut back spending on other household needs

With inflation still abnormally high, four in 10 Americans tell us that rising healthcare costs have forced them to cut back on various forms of household spending.

Perhaps more concerning, 26% report skipping or delaying medical care or buying prescription drugs they need because of the cost. That figure jumps to 41% for households making less than $24,000 annually.
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2. Are the Huddled Masses Less Welcome in Today's America?

Line Chart: Americans' Preferred Approach to Immigration

In our latest update on the public's views on immigration, we see an increase in those who say immigration levels should be decreased in the U.S. While four in 10 Americans say so, it's nowhere near the record high of 65% we captured back in the '90s and the days of Prop 187 out west.

While the recent rise in those desiring less immigration is consistent across all political party groups, the 52-percentage-point gap between Republicans and Democrats favoring this is yet another record in an increasingly divided political landscape.
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3. Kenyans Don't Trust Their Elections

Bar Chart: 64% of Kenyans say they don't have confidence in the honesty of elections.

As Kenyans voted last week for a new president, reports of low turnout compared with previous elections should not come as a surprise when one considers that most Kenyans don't trust their electoral process. In 2021, 64% of Kenyans said they do not have confidence in the honesty of elections in their country.

Kenyans went to the polls against the backdrop of serious concerns, including meeting their basic needs. A majority of even the richest 20% of Kenyans said there have been times in the past 12 months when they did not have enough money to buy food they or their family needed.
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4. Is Alcohol Losing Its Cool Factor?

Bar Chart: U.S. adults, non-drinkers and drinkers rank the effect alcohol has on society and on the people who drink.

In our annual Consumption Habits survey, we ask Americans not only what they drink, but also what impact alcohol has on society — and the results are not thrilling. Even among those who drink, 71% say alcohol has a somewhat or very negative effect on society, and 65% say the same when it comes to its effect on those who imbibe.
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5. Are You Safe Walking Alone at Night Where You Live?

Ranking Chart: Rankings of countries where people are most likely to feel safe and least likely to feel safe walking alone at night

As we get fired up for the release of Gallup's new book, Blind Spot, we study the stark differences seen in measuring a basic need among members of any community — personal safety. For the past 16 years, we've been asking people around the world whether they feel safe walking alone at night in their neighborhood. These are the countries that made the most and least safe lists.
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And that's The Week in Charts!

Mohamed Younis
Editor-in-Chief
Gallup

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