{"id":200258,"date":"2025-02-20T13:57:46","date_gmt":"2025-02-20T18:57:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/?p=200258"},"modified":"2025-02-25T15:00:03","modified_gmt":"2025-02-25T20:00:03","slug":"americans-continue-to-view-several-economic-issues-as-top-national-problems","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/politics\/2025\/02\/20\/americans-continue-to-view-several-economic-issues-as-top-national-problems\/","title":{"rendered":"Americans Continue to View Several Economic Issues as Top National Problems"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\n
How we did this<\/summary>\n

Pew Research Center conducted this study to understand Americans\u2019 views of problems facing the country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u2019s American Trends Panel (ATP), a group of people recruited through national, random sampling of residential addresses who have agreed to take surveys regularly. 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\u2019s methodology<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here are the questions used for this report<\/a>, the topline<\/a> and the survey methodology<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/details>\n\n\n\n

At the start of President Donald Trump\u2019s second term, Americans see a host of economic issues \u2013 from inflation to the affordability of health care and the federal budget deficit \u2013 as top problems facing the country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Chart<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

With most adults continuing to say the nation\u2019s economy<\/a> is in only fair (45%) or poor (31%) shape, large shares of the public \u2013 including majorities of Republicans and Democrats \u2013 see multiple economic considerations as very big national problems.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Today, 63% say inflation is a very big problem for the country. This is comparable to last May and down from a high of 70% in 2022.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the same time, the share of adults who say the affordability of health care is a very big national problem has risen 10 percentage points since last year: Today, 67% say this, up from 57% in 2024. There has also been an uptick in the share of Americans who see the federal deficit as a very big problem (53% then, 57% today), driven mostly by rising deficit concern among Democrats.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One exception is unemployment. As has been the case for the last three years, only about a quarter say it is a very big problem for the country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How Americans rank national problems<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Roughly seven-in-ten Americans say \u201cthe role of money in politics\u201d is a very big problem in the country today \u2013 the highest share of any of the 24 items asked about on the survey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Chart<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The affordability of health care (67%), inflation (63%), the federal budget deficit (57%) and the number of Americans living in poverty (53%) are also among the public\u2019s top concerns.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

About half or more see the ability of Republicans and Democrats to work together (56%), drug addiction (51%) and the state of moral values (50%) as very big problems in the country today.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Far smaller shares of the public see terrorism, racism or climate change as very big problems for the nation \u2013 though Republicans and Democrats disagree about the severity of some of these problems.   <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Note: Refer to the <\/em>topline<\/em><\/a> for a full list of the 24 items asked about. The lowest four items are not shown here.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Republicans less worried about partisan cooperation, political system<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

There have been notable declines in the shares of Republicans who say \u201cthe ability of Democrats and Republicans to work together\u201d and that \u201cthe way the U.S. political system operates\u201d are very big national problems.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Chart<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
The ability of Republicans and Democrats to work together<\/h5>\n\n\n\n