Inflation Is Seen As Biden’s Fault...Except When He Uses This Key Phrase About Oil Companies.
We looked at over 1.6 million online messages to understand how to connect with voters concerned about rising prices.
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BIG TAKEAWAY: Anger about inflation is about high gas prices, and Americans are blaming Biden, but when he talks about “price gouging” oil companies, the entire conversation shifts.
Americans have absorbed GOP messaging about Biden being responsible for inflation.
When Americans mention specific costs that have gone up, gas prices are mentioned far more than any other item.
When Biden talks about investigating oil companies for “price gouging,” positivity levels online soar dramatically.
Inflation has recently been impacting Americans’ financial well-being, and according to polls, President Biden is being blamed more than any other group or figure - in the latest I&I/TIPP Survey, 36% of Americans (and 19% of Democrats) say the Biden Administration is responsible for recent price increases across the country:
Online, the initial picture looks similar - the President is at the center of the inflation conversation:
Top words mentioned in conversation about inflation (Nov. 2 - Dec. 2, 2021):
People participating in this conversation are likely to lean right:
Top words appearing in source bios of Americans talking online about inflation (Nov. 2 - Dec. 2, 2021):
GOP messaging focused on Biden’s responsibility for inflation is currently dominating the discourse about rising prices, both online and offline.
And inflation is really a gas prices problem: when Americans talk more specifically about where costs are rising (using their own words rather than sharing posts from others), they mention gas prices in 1 out of every 4 posts about inflation - far more than they mention food/groceries (5%), the second-most frequently mentioned expense.
But when the conversation turns to President Biden calling for an investigation into “price gouging” by oil companies, the online response is overwhelmingly positive, especially when compared to the conversation about Biden and inflation generally:
Bottom line: “Pain at the pump” is real, and voters want to know who is responsible. The GOP has been successfully blaming the Biden administration, but when the conversation turns to “price gouging” by oil companies, Biden earns high praise online. Democrats should not be afraid to refocus voter anger about rising prices on “price gouging” oil companies (and should use that exact phrase) and force the GOP to defend the pandemic profiteering of some of the wealthiest corporations on the planet.