Several Economic Issues Seen As Top National Problems By Americans

Pew Research Center conducted this study to understand Americans’ views of problems facing the country. For this analysis, we surveyed 5,086 adults from Jan. 27 to Feb. 2, 2025. Everyone who took part in this survey is a member of the Center’s American Trends Panel (ATP), a group of people recruited through national, random sampling of residential addresses who have agreed to take... This kind of recruitment gives nearly all U.S.

adults a chance of selection. Surveys were conducted either online or by telephone with a live interviewer. The survey is weighted to be representative of the U.S. adult population by gender, race, ethnicity, partisan affiliation, education and other factors. Read more about the ATP’s methodology. Here are the questions used for this report, the topline and the survey methodology.

At the start of President Donald Trump’s second term, Americans see a host of economic issues – from inflation to the affordability of health care and the federal budget deficit – as top problems... With most adults continuing to say the nation’s economy is in only fair (45%) or poor (31%) shape, large shares of the public – including majorities of Republicans and Democrats – see multiple economic... This Pew Research report highlights inflation, healthcare affordability, and the federal budget deficit as top economic concerns shaping public grievances and trust in business, with money in politics emerging as a critical related issue... Majorities of Americans also express "a great deal" of worry about inflation and federal spending WASHINGTON, D.C. — Economic issues continue to dominate Americans’ national concerns, with majorities expressing “a great deal” of personal worry about the economy, healthcare availability and affordability, inflation and the federal budget deficit.

Along with the economy and healthcare, public concern about Social Security and the environment is up significantly, with Social Security registering a 15-year high. At the same time, concern about crime, drug use, immigration, and the availability and affordability of energy has decreased when the last measure of President Joe Biden’s term in 2024 is compared with the... After the change in presidential administrations, partisans’ worries have shifted significantly on most of the 16 issues Gallup measured, as Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents have become more concerned, while Republicans and Republican-leaning independents are... Americans’ top-ranking worries are pocketbook issues, including the economy (60% worry a great deal), healthcare costs (59%), inflation (56%), federal spending and the budget deficit (53%), and the Social Security system (52%). Though the 2024 presidential election is over a year away, campaign season is heating up. Already, candidates on both sides of the aisle are honing their messaging in an attempt to connect with voters.

While much of the political discourse has so far focused on former President Donald Trump and his legal troubles, the most important issues to the public at large are much broader in scope. A successful bid for the White House will, in all likelihood, go to the candidate who can most effectively speak to those issues. According to a June 2023 survey conducted by the Pew Research Center, 16 major problems facing the country are top of mind for large swaths of the general public. These problems fall under several policy categories, including public health, the economy, national security, and more. Using Pew survey data, 24/7 Wall St. identified the most important issues to Americans in the coming election.

The 16 respective issues on this list are ranked by the share of surveyed adults who see them as a “very big problem.” We also assessed the partisan divide for each issue, by comparing... The share of American adults who perceive each of the issues on this list as a very big problem ranges from 24% to 65%. Issues like unemployment, infrastructure, and domestic and international terrorism rank near the bottom of the list, while inflation, health care affordability, and drug addiction rank near the top. (Here is a look at the U.S. counties where opioid prescriptions outnumber people.) Notably, the divide between Republican and Democratic voters in how these issues are perceived is often striking.

For example, among Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents, climate change is seen as one of the most serious problems, with 64% of the cohort agreeing it is a “very big problem” – more than four... (Here is a look at the states where carbon emissions are rising fastest.) As the United States enters a new political era, a majority of Americans continue to view economic issues—including inflation, health care costs, and the federal deficit—as the country’s most pressing problems, according to a... The poll, conducted from January 27 to February 2, found that 63% of Americans consider inflation a “very big problem,” making it one of the nation’s top concerns. Meanwhile, 67% cited the affordability of health care as a major issue, marking a 10-point increase from last year. Worries about the federal budget deficit also rose, with 57% of respondents describing it as a serious national challenge​.

While economic worries dominated, other major concerns included violent crime (63%), gun violence (57%), and the number of Americans living in poverty (53%). However, unemployment remained a lower concern, with only about a quarter of respondents seeing it as a significant issue. The findings also revealed deep partisan divides in how Americans perceive national challenges. While Republicans ranked illegal immigration (73%) and inflation (73%) as their top concerns, Democrats were most worried about money in politics (78%), health care costs (73%), and gun violence (69%). Climate change, which 67% of Democrats called a very big problem, was seen as a major issue by only 13% of Republicans​. Despite differences in priorities, the survey found bipartisan agreement on some issues, including the growing cost of health care.

However, Americans remain divided on key social and political issues, reflecting the broader challenges facing the nation’s leadership in addressing public concerns. Updated on: October 29, 2024 / 3:44 PM EDT / CBS News With polls showing that Americans rank the economy as their most pressing concern in the November 5 election, both Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump are making last-minute pitches to convince... At the same time, many factors that affect the nation's economic performance are beyond the president's control, from shocks like Russia's invasion of Ukraine to the pandemic's supply-chain snarls, which contributed to the highest... inflation in 40 years. Although experts largely give the current economy high marks, most Americans don't agree, with 52% telling Gallup that they feel worse off today than four years ago.

That's partly due to partisan differences — Republicans are much more likely than Democrats to say they're struggling more than in 2020, Gallup found — but economists say it's also linked to lingering pain... "It's inflation, stupid!" wrote Bernard Yaros, U.S. lead economist at Oxford Economics, in an October 24 report, borrowing from political strategist James Carville's famous coinage. "Inflation is the foremost issue voters are concerned about, and how it is perceived will determine the election." Over the past two years, Americans have lived through several political shocks—both at home and abroad. In 2023, the removal of House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, the Supreme Court’s reversal on affirmative action, the outbreak of the Israel–Hamas war, and Donald Trump’s multiple indictments shook the political landscape.

In 2024, Americans faced a series of events surrounding the presidential election—Trump’s conviction on felony charges, the Supreme Court’s subsequent ruling granting him presidential immunity, Joe Biden’s faltering debate performance that led to his... Since the new administration took office in January 2025, policy shifts across a wide range of domains—including tariffs, education, immigration, and foreign affairs—have given Americans a lot to think about. With so many options, which issues do Americans think are most important? Data from the Weidenbaum Center Survey (WCS) between October 2023 and May 2025 offer key insights. The WCS is a nationally representative survey, including an oversample of African Americans, fielded by YouGov three times each year by faculty affiliated with the Weidenbaum Center on the Economy, Government, and Public Policy... Louis.

The rich data reveal notable trends in how Americans think about the nation’s most important problem. Across time and party lines, the economy and inflation topped Americans’ concerns. Yet Democrats and Republicans differed in which policy areas—such as climate change, immigration, and gun control—and which issues of governance—like democracy, polarization, and party leadership—they viewed as the nation’s most important problems. What is the Most Important Problem Facing the Country? Since 2023, 10,492 unique respondents to the WCS have answered the open-ended question, “What do you think is the single most important problem facing the country?” Unlike closed-ended questions that ask respondents to assess... Open-ended responses “provide a direct view into a respondent’s own thinking” (Roberts et al.

2014, p.1065), unconstrained by the researchers’ preconceptions. At the start of President Donald Trump’s second term, Americans see a host of economic issues – from inflation to the affordability of health care and the federal budget deficit – as top problems... That’s the conclusion from Pew Research Center, which released new data on February 20 suggesting that the nation’s economy remains a key concern among American consumers. Affordability, long a kitchen-table concern for many American families, has escalated into a national crisis, following years of persistently high inflation and a widening wealth gap. But, while plenty is heard about the affordability problem, there seems to be very little discussion about tangible solutions. So, CNN asked more than two dozen leaders in business and economics: What is the single best thing Washington can do right now to improve the cost of living for Americans?

In their responses, several key themes emerged, with tariffs topping the list. Here’s a look at what experts say could make a difference: CNN’s Elisabeth Buchwald, Samantha Delouya, Matt Egan, Chris Isidore, Bryan Mena, Allison Morrow, Jeanne Sahadi and John Towfighi contributed reporting.

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