Americans are increasingly concerned about rising inflation, which is at its highest level in almost 40 years, according to a new Gallup poll released on March 29. The survey found that 17 percent of respondents named inflation as their top economic issue in March, rising from 10 percent in February and 8 percent in January. Inflation was a nonissue for Americans throughout 2020 and hovered at 2 percent throughout 2021 until October of that year, when 5 percent cited it as their top concern. Among respondents, 59 percent said they now worry “a great deal” about the cost of living, which is at levels not seen since 1985. “Inflation doesn’t dominate Americans’ perceptions of the most important problem facing the country today the way it did in the early 1980s, but it’s more top-of-mind than it’s been in over three decades and appears to be taking a toll on Americans’ broader economic confidence,” …