Government and political leadership remain the top concern for Americans, according to a new national poll from Gallup.
About 29% of U.S. adults in February named government or political leadership as the most important problem facing the country today.
Immigration ranked second in the survey, cited by 20% of respondents. That marked a sharp increase from 10% in January, though it was similar to the 19% recorded in December.
Economic issues followed behind those two concerns. Eleven percent of Americans cited the economy in general, while 8% pointed to inflation or high prices.
Several other issues appeared less frequently in responses. Seven percent of respondents mentioned unifying the country, 6% cited problems with the judicial system, and 5% raised concerns about elections and democracy.
Race relations, crime and violence, and healthcare each were mentioned by about 4% of Americans.
Gallup researchers said concerns about government have remained elevated since President Donald Trump began his second term about a year ago. Mentions of government as the nation’s top problem have averaged 27% during that period, higher than the 19% average during Joe Biden’s presidency.
The survey also found a wide partisan gap in how Americans view the issue. Among Democrats, 44% cited government or political leadership as the nation’s top problem in February, near a record high for the group.
By comparison, 24% of independents and 19% of Republicans listed government as the country’s biggest issue.
Immigration concerns rose across political groups in the February poll. Thirty-two percent of Republicans named immigration as the top problem, up from 19% in January. Mentions also rose among Democrats, from 5% to 18%, and among independents, from 8% to 15%.
The poll was conducted Feb. 2–16, before the United States and Israel launched military strikes on Iran later in the month.
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