Government listed as top problem for seventh year in past decade: Gallup

Americans have listed the U.S. government as the nation’s top problem for the seventh time in the past decade, according to a new Gallup poll. 

The poll, published on Tuesday, found that 19 percent of respondents list the government as the most important problem the country will face this year. 

The high cost of living and inflation came in as respondents’ second concern at 16 percent, while 12 percent of those surveyed said the economy, in general, is the most important problem facing the nation. 

Survey takers also listed immigration, COVID-19, race relations, crime and unifying the country as their top problems the nation is facing, with each issue gaining 4 to 6 percent of the vote among respondents, according to the poll.

Along political party lines, 25 percent of registered Republican respondents list the U.S. government as the most important problem in the country, while 18 percent of registered Democrat respondents agree with the same sentiment. 

Sixteen percent of registered independent respondents said that the U.S. government is the most important problem the nation faces, the poll said. 

The poll comes as 18 percent of respondents said they are satisfied with what’s going on in the country, down 9 percentage points from last year’s total. 

Along political party lines, 31 percent of registered Democrat respondents said they are satisfied with the way things are going in the country, as only four percent of registered Republican respondents said the same.

Nineteen percent of registered independent respondents also said that they are satisfied with the overall direction of the country. 

The Gallup poll was conducted from Nov. 9 to Dec. 2 with a total of 1,020 respondents participating in the survey. The poll’s margin of error is plus or minus 4 percentage points.