Most Important Problem

Line graph. Percentage of Americans mentioning economic issues as the most important U.S. problem, trend from 2001-2021. High percentage mentioning the economy is 86% in February 2009; low is 9% in multiple polls from 2020 and 2021. Currently (in May 2021) 21% mention the economy.

What do you think is the most important problem facing the country today?

Recent trend

	May 2021	Apr 2021	Mar 2021	Feb 2021	Jan 2021	Dec 2020	Nov 2020
	%	%	%	%	%	%	%
ECONOMIC PROBLEMS (NET)	21	14	19	16	9	10	10
Economy in general	7	4	8	8	2	4	6
Unemployment/Jobs	5	3	5	5	3	3	2
Federal budget deficit/Federal debt	3	2	3	2	1	1	1
High cost of living/Inflation	2	1	1	--	*	--	--
Gap between rich and poor	2	2	2	1	1	1	1
Lack of money	2	1	1	*	2	*	1
Taxes	1	1	*	*	*	*	*
Wage issues	*	*	1	*	*	*	--
Corporate corruption	--	*	--	*	*	*	*
Foreign trade/Trade deficit	--	*	*	--	--	*	--
NON-ECONOMIC PROBLEMS (NET)	81	85	82	84	91	92	87
The government/Poor leadership	16	14	20	19	29	20	22
Coronavirus/Diseases	15	20	25	26	22	33	28
Immigration	12	14	8	3	1	2	2
Race relations/Racism	11	12	8	10	10	8	10
Unifying the country	4	6	6	8	12	5	6
Lack of respect for each other	3	2	2	3	4	5	2
Environment/Pollution/Climate change	3	3	2	3	2	2	3
Healthcare	3	3	3	2	2	4	3
Ethics/moral/religious/family decline	2	3	2	4	4	4	3
Poverty/Hunger/Homelessness	2	2	2	1	1	2	1
Crime/Violence	2	3	1	2	2	1	1
Welfare	2	1	*	*	--	*	*
The media	2	2	2	2	2	2	2
Judicial system/Courts/Laws	2	2	2	2	1	2	2
Education	2	1	*	1	1	1	1
Police brutality	1	*	*	*	*	*	--
Guns/Gun control	1	2	1	*	*	*	*
Elections/Election reform	1	2	2	1	4	5	4
Foreign policy/Foreign aid/Focus overseas	1	1	*	1	*	*	*
Advancement of Computers/Technology	1	*	*	*	1	*	*
National security	1	*	*	*	--	*	*
Energy/Lack of energy sources	1	--	1	*	--	--	*
Child abuse	1	--	--	--	--	*	*
Wars/War (nonspecific)/Fear of war	1	*	--	*	*	*	--
Situation with China	*	1	*	1	*	1	*
International issues, problems	*	*	*	*	*	1	1
Lack of military defense	*	*	*	--	--	--	--
Drugs	*	*	*	--	--	*	*
School shootings	*	1	--	--	*	--	--
War/conflict between Middle East nations	*	--	--	--	--	*	--
Abortion	*	*	*	*	*	*	*
Care for the elderly/Medicare	*	--	--	*	--	*	--
Situation with Russia	*	*	--	--	*	--	--
Terrorism	--	*	--	*	--	--	--
Children's behavior/Way they are raised	--	*	--	*	*	--	*
Social Security	--	--	--	*	--	*	*
Natural disaster relief/response	--	--	--	--	--	--	--
Other non-economic	3	4	4	3	2	1	4
No opinion	3	3	1	2	2	1	2
Total	119%	117%	116%	112%	113%	112%	110%
* Less than 0.5%; Percentages total more than 100% due to multiple mentions.
Gallup

Which political party do you think can do a better job of handling the problem you think is most important -- the Republican Party or the Democratic Party?

Based on those who name a most important problem

	Republican Party	Democratic Party	No difference/Other/ No opinion (vol.)
	%	%	%
2020 Aug 31-Sep 13	39	47	14
2019 Sep 3-15	40	44	16
2018 Sep 4-12	40	41	19
2017 Sep 6-10	34	41	25
2016 Sep 7-11	42	38	20
2015 Sep 9-13	42	37	23
2014 Sep 4-7	40	36	25
2014 Jul 7-10	35	35	29
2013 Sep 5-8	34	39	27
2012 Sep 6-9	39	49	13
2011 Sep 8-11	44	37	19
2010 Sep 13-16	40	38	22
2009 Aug 31-Sep 2	34	45	20
2008 Sep 8-11	39	46	14
2007 Sep 14-16	30	47	22
2006 Sep 7-10	34	49	16
2005 Sep 12-15	39	40	21
2005 Jan 3-5	41	41	18
2004 Sep 13-15	47	44	9
2004 Jan 12-15	39	46	15
2002 Jul 26-28	38	36	26
2001 Jan 10-14	39	39	22
1999 Jan 15-17	33	43	24
1998 Apr 17-19	40	42	18
1997 Jan 10-13	33	43	24
1996 Jul 25-28	37	41	22
1996 May 9-12	40	44	16
1995 Jan 16-18	42	32	26
1994 Oct 22-25	41	37	22
1994 Aug 15-16	38	37	25
1994 Aug 8-9	39	37	24
1994 Jul 15-17	39	32	29
1994 Jan 28-30	30	41	29
1994 Jan 15-17	31	39	30
1993 Sep 10-12	31	37	32
1993 Jan 8-11	29	45	26
1992 Mar 26-29	34	40	26
1991 Nov 21-24	33	34	33
1991 Sep 5-8	37	34	29
1991 Jul 11-14	36	28	36
1991 May 23-26	38	30	32
1991 Apr 25-28	34	29	37
1991 Mar 7-10	40	27	33
1990 Oct	30	29	41
1989 Jul 18-21	33	27	40
1988 Sep 9-11	38	33	29
1988 May 9-11	27	40	33
1987 Apr 10-13	29	37	34
1987 Jan 16-19	30	39	32
1986 Jul 11-14	33	36	31
1986 Jan 10-13	33	28	39
1985 Oct 11-14	32	32	36
1985 May 17-20	37	31	32
1985 Jan 25-28	39	29	32
1984 Sep 21-24	42	33	26
1984 Sep 7-10	43	34	23
1984 Aug 10-13	39	37	24
1984 Jun 22-25	33	35	32
1984 Feb 10-13	30	32	38
1983 Nov 18-21	28	35	37
1983 Oct 7-10	26	37	37
1983 Jul 22-25	24	38	38
1982 Oct 15-18	29	41	30
1982 Aug 13-16	26	35	39
1982 Jun 11-14	28	35	37
1982 Apr 2-5	25	35	40
1982 Jan 8-11	30	34	36
1981 May 8-11	36	21	43
1981 Jan 30-Feb 2	39	20	41
1980 Oct 10-13	33	33	35
1980 Sep 12-15	35	32	33
1980 Jul 11-14	31	27	43
1980 Mar 28-31	28	32	40
1980 Jan 25-28	21	34	45
1979 Oct 12-15	25	33	42
1979 Aug 10-13	20	30	50
1979 May 4-7	21	31	48
1979 Feb 23-26	23	29	48
1978 Oct 27-30	25	33	42
1978 Sep 8-11	20	35	46
1978 Jul 7-10	19	33	48
1978 Apr 14-17	22	32	46
1977 Oct 21-24	14	38	48
1976 Oct 22-25	23	43	34
1976 Oct 8-11	24	42	33
1976 Apr 23-26	18	39	43
1976 Jan 2-5	18	40	43
1975 Oct 17-20	15	42	43
1975 Feb 28-Mar 3	14	42	44
1974 Oct 11-14	18	39	43
1974 Sep 27-30	13	39	48
1974 Aug 16-19	20	38	42
1974 May 31-Jun 3	16	38	46
1974 Jan 4-7	16	40	44
1973 May 4-7	22	35	43
1972 Oct 13-16	38	29	33
1972 Sep 22-25	34	31	35
1972 Jul 14-17	28	34	39
1972 Aug	28	34	38
1972 Apr 28-May 1	22	33	45
1972 Feb 4-7	23	30	47
1971 Nov 19-22	22	33	45
1971 Aug 27-30	18	36	47
1971 Jun 4-7	19	31	50
1970 Oct 9-14	23	26	50
1970 Sep 25-28	21	30	49
1970 Jul 31-Aug 2	19	30	51
1970 May 21-26	21	27	52
1970 Jan 15-20	26	25	48
1968 Oct 17-22	35	29	35
1968 Sep 26-Oct 1	43	27	29
1968 Sep 1-6	35	23	42
1968 Aug 7-12	37	25	39
1968 Jul 18-23	31	27	42
1968 Jan 4-9	26	33	41
1967 Oct 27-Nov 1	26	30	43
1967 Aug 3-8	23	29	48
1967 Jan 26-31	23	29	48
1966 Oct 21-26	27	26	47
1966 Oct 1-6	22	28	50
1966 Aug 18-23	21	28	51
1966 May 5-10	22	28	50
1966 Mar 3-8	13	21	67
1965 Nov 18-23	17	30	52
1965 Oct 29-Nov 2	17	38	44
1965 Sep 16-21	17	34	50
1965 Aug 5-10	13	37	49
1965 Jul 16-21	16	36	49
1965 May 13-18	16	37	48
1965 Mar 18-23	16	38	45
1965 Feb 19-24	17	39	44
1964 Oct 8-13	22	49	39
1964 Sep 18-23	23	49	29
1964 Aug 27-Sep 1	19	52	29
1964 Aug 6-11	21	45	34
1964 Jul 23-28	25	37	36
1964 Jun 25-30	19	41	40
1964 Apr 24-29	16	40	44
1964 Mar 27-Apr 2	16	42	42
1963 Sep 12-17	20	29	52
1962 Oct 19-24	20	35	45
1962 Sep 20-25	20	38	42
1962 Aug 23-28	17	34	48
1962 Jun 28-Jul 3	18	36	46
1962 Apr 6-11	16	39	45
1961 May 4-9	15	37	48
1960 Oct 18-23	34	40	26
1960 Sep 28-Oct 2	35	38	27
1960 Sep 9-14	32	35	33
1960 Aug 25-30	31	33	36
1960 Aug 11-16	31	33	35
1960 Jul 30-Aug 4	36	36	28
1960 Jul 16-21	20	40	40
1960 Jun 30-Jul 5	23	32	44
1960 Jun 16-21	23	35	42
1960 May 26-31	24	35	41
1960 Apr 28-May 3	25	33	42
1960 Feb 4-9	24	32	44
1959 Sep 18-23	26	31	43
1959 Jul 23-28	24	36	40
1959 Feb 4-9	26	34	39
1958 Oct 15-20	26	33	41
1958 Sep 24-29	23	30	46
1958 Sep 10-15	22	37	41
1958 Aug 20-25	22	37	41
1958 Jul 10-15	19	39	42
1958 Mar 6-11	22	38	39
1957 Oct 10-15	28	30	42
1957 May 17-22	30	29	42
1956 Oct 18-23	40	30	30
1956 Oct 7-12	41	31	29
1956 Sep 20-25	38	29	33
1956 Sep 9-14	33	29	37
1956 May 31-Jun 5	38	37	25
1956 Mar 8-13	37	35	28
1955 Jun 3-8	29	32	38
1952 Jun 15-20	40	28	32
1952 Mar 27-Apr 1	39	28	33
1952 Jan 6-11	42	25	30
1950 Aug 20-25	28	40	32
1950 Jun 4-9	35	36	28
1948 Jun 19-24	37	30	33
1948 Mar 19-24	32	28	40
1947 Sep 12-17	25	31	44
1946 Oct 18-23	45	28	27
1946 Sep 13-18	38	29	33
1945 Aug 24-29	22	49	29
(vol.)=volunteered response
Gallup

Most Important Problem

Related Topics Include:

The Five Conditions Assessment

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