In 2022, citizens indicated that the government is the main problem in the United States. According to the annual survey conducted by Gallup, 19% stated that they are dissatisfied with this government, one point less than last year. Within that category, the consulting firm included a series of points such as the president himself, Congress, party politics and gridlock, among others.
The government has been the main issue in seven of the last ten years. After the government, the next most important issues of concern include the high cost of living or inflation (16%) and the economy in general (12%), followed by immigration (6%), unifying the country (5%), Covid-19 (4%), race relations (4%) and crime (4%).
Republican Party supporters (25%) are more likely than Democrats (18%) to name the government as the biggest problem facing the United States. On the other hand, 16% of independents share the same opinion.
The country's current situation or major events have a huge influence
Looking at the survey, we can see that the main problem each year varies according to some current event or situation we are experiencing.
For example, between 2002 and 2007, the issue Americans were most concerned about was the Iraq War. The country was immersed in its fight against jihadist terrorism after the 9/11 attacks in 2001.
From 2008 to 2013, the main problem was the economy and the labor situation, at 40%, after the financial crisis that broke out in the United States and the European Union due to the collapse of subprime mortgages. Since then, instability and political class has positioned itself as the issue of most concern to citizens.
Since Obama, government has been one of the major problems
The government began to occupy the top spots after Barack Obama came to power. The former president served in the White House from January 20, 2009 to January 20, 2017.
In 2012, the government ranked as the third problem (with 13%) and, two years later, it topped the ranking (18%). The highest percentage was reached in 2019 with Donald Trump in power, when almost three out of ten people (27%) identifying the president as the main problem.
