Little Change in Public's View of the U.S. Drug Problem

GALLUP NEWS SERVICE

PRINCETON, NJ -- The annual Gallup Poll Social Series update on Americans' attitudes toward crime finds the vast majority of Americans saying the problem of illegal drugs in the United States is very serious, but substantially fewer saying drugs are a serious problem in the area where they live. These results are consistent with what Gallup has observed in recent years. There has also been little change in the public's views about government efforts to deal with the problem -- only about one in three Americans saying it has made progress in this area.

Americans in lower-income households are more likely than those in higher-income households to view drugs as a serious problem both on the local and national level. Women express a higher level of concern about the nation's drug problem than do men, but women are also more inclined to say the nation has made progress with the problem.

The Drug Problem in the United States

The Oct. 4-7, 2007, poll asked Americans to assess the problem of drugs in the United States and also in the area where they live.

Seventy-three percent of Americans describe the nations' problem as either "extremely" (35%) or "very" (38%) serious. An additional 24% say it is "moderately" serious, and only 2% say it is "not too" or "not at all" serious. Most Americans have described the nation's drug problem as extremely or very serious since Gallup first asked this question in 2000. At that time, 83% said illegal drugs in the country were a serious issue. Since then, this percentage has been somewhat lower, ranging between 70% and the current 73%.

Americans express considerably less concern about the problem of drugs in their local communities. Just 29% say the problem of drugs in their local area is extremely (14%) or very (15%) serious. Thirty-nine percent say it is moderately serious, and 31% say it is not too or not at all serious. The percentage of Americans saying the drug problem in their area is extremely or very serious is the lowest Gallup has measured since 2000, but it is not much lower than it has been in recent years.

Gallup polling over the years finds Americans typically rating conditions in a wide variety of areas more positively on their local level than on the national level. For example, in the poll, 57% of Americans say crime in the country is a serious problem while only 15% say crime is a serious problem in their area.

The public's concern about drugs in the country and in their local areas varies significantly by household income and gender:

Americans residing in lower-income households (particularly those earning less than $30,000 per year) are much more likely than those in higher-income households (especially those earning $75,000 or more per year) to say the drug problem -- both in the country and in their local area -- is a serious problem.

Although both men and women agree that the nation's drug problem is serious, women (80%) are more likely than men (66%) to say this. The two groups show more modest variations in regards to the seriousness of drugs in their local area.

Progress Made in the War on Drugs

The poll also asked Americans if the nation has made much progress, made some progress, stood still, lost some ground, or lost much ground over the last year or two in coping with the problem of illegal drugs. The results show the public essentially divided into three equal segments: 34% saying the country has made progress, 31% saying they country has stood still, and 32% saying the country has lost ground. That has been the case in each of the last two surveys.

Americans' optimism has clearly declined compared to what it was at the turn of the century, when nearly half of Americans thought the nation was making progress against illegal drugs. Americans were most pessimistic about the efficacy of anti-drug efforts in the 1976 and 1996 surveys.

There are also differences by household income levels about the progress made dealing with the issue of illegal drugs in the last couple of years.

Those earning less than $30,000 per year are more likely than those earning $75,000 or more to say the country has made progress dealing with the problem of illegal drugs, but they are also more likely to say the country has lost ground. A plurality of adults earning $75,000 or more per year (41%) say the country has neither made progress nor lost ground, but rather has stood still. (Those earning between $30,000 and $75,000 per year are roughly equally divided across the three response categories).

Men are much more pessimistic than women about the progress the nation has made in its effort to combat illegal drugs. Among men, the plurality (37%) say the country has lost ground in the battle against illegal drugs in the last couple of years, while 33% say it has stood still, and 27% say it has made progress. The results are essentially the opposite among women -- 40% say the country has made progress, 29% say it has stood still, and 28% say it has lost ground.

Survey Methods

Results are based on telephone interviews with 1,010 national adults, aged 18 and older, conducted Oct. 4-7, 2007. For results based on the total sample of national adults, one can say with 95% confidence that the maximum margin of sampling error is ±3 percentage points. In addition to sampling error, question wording and practical difficulties in conducting surveys can introduce error or bias into the findings of public opinion polls.

18. Overall, how would you describe the problem of drugs [ROTATED: in the United States/in the area where you live] -- is it extremely serious, very serious, moderately serious, not too serious, or not serious at all?

A. In the United States

B. In the area where you live

19. Now, how much progress do you feel the nation has made over the last year or two in coping with the problem of illegal drugs -- Has it made much progress, made some progress, stood still, lost some ground, or lost much ground?