Samuel Case, FISM News

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Democrats and Republicans have different opinions on the biggest health threat facing the country, according to a new Axios-Ipsos poll.

A survey of 1,213 American adults conducted Feb. 17-21 shows Republicans see fentanyl and other opioids as the number one threat to public health, while Democrats say the real threat is access to firearms.

Among Republicans, 37% said fentanyl is the biggest threat, followed by 25% who said obesity, and 17% who said cancer. Only 4% of Republicans see firearm access as a major health threat. 

Meanwhile, 35% of Democrats named guns as the greatest threat to public health, with 17% saying fentanyl and obesity. 

Overall opioids ranked as the biggest threat, with obesity in second, and gun access in third.

Public opinion aside, Axios notes that “heart disease and cancer actually were the two leading causes of death in the U.S. as of 2021, followed by COVID-19 and accidents.” 

Cancer came in a distant fourth on the list, with 12% naming it as the biggest health threat, while only 6% listed COVID-19, and 4% said unsafe driving. 

However, according to Axios the top concerns of Republicans and Democrats are not without merit. 

“The CDC estimates there were 107,477 drug overdose deaths in the 12 months ending in August 2022,” Axios reports, “while gun violence killed more than 44,000 Americans last year.”

Families Against Fentanyl (FAF) lists the drug as the number one cause of death for Americans between 18 and 45. In addition, FAF data shows fentanyl deaths of children under 14 have increased by 1400% since 2015.