The Sconi

A recent survey of Wisconsin voters revealed that economic issues, including inflation and employment, are the primary concerns in the state. Forty percent of respondents identified these as their top two worries. The poll also indicated that rising food prices and dwindling income were the main impacts of inflation affecting respondents and their families.

According to a previous report by The Sconi, this poll underscores the dissatisfaction felt by Wisconsin voters regarding the country's direction, their economic anxieties, and President Joe Biden's management of the economy. The survey found that 72 percent of respondents believe the country is on the wrong path, with 58 percent disapproving of Biden's handling of economic matters.

The poll, conducted by North Star Opinion Research on behalf of the League of American Workers, discovered that 40 percent of respondents listed economic issues such as jobs and inflation among their top two concerns. A quarter prioritized it above all else. Respondents identified food prices and income erosion as the most significant effects of inflation on them and their families. Forty-nine percent and forty percent cited these as their top two impacts respectively. Respondents blamed Biden and Democrats for declining real wages in Wisconsin by a margin of two-to-one. Forty percent pointed fingers at Biden, while 20 percent attributed it to natural economic cycles, and 18 percent blamed Republicans.

According to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics' (BLS) Midwest Consumer Price Index Card, inflation remains high despite dropping from its peak of over nine percent last year. The Consumer Price Index (CPI) in November 2023 for the West North Central division — which includes Wisconsin — increased by 3.6 percent compared to November 2022.

The BLS' CPI report for this region showed a rise in food prices for all urban consumers between November 2022 and November 2023 by 2.3 percent. During this period, cereals and bakery products saw an increase in price by 5.3 percent.

An analysis by USA TODAY Blueprint found that from November 2022 to June 2023, Wisconsin was tied for the third-highest restaurant price inflation rate in the country at 21 percent.

The United States Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Economic Research Service has projected that all food prices will rise between 2.1 and 6.7 percent in 2024. Prices of food at home are expected to increase by between one and 7.8 percent, while prices of food away from home are predicted to rise by between 4.4 and 6.7 percent.

According to data from the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis' FRED database, the real median pre-tax household income in Wisconsin in 2022 was $73,330, roughly 1.7 percent lower than the national real median pre-tax household income for that year. This also represented a decrease of 2.8 percent from Wisconsin's real median pre-tax income of $75,420 in 2021.