Government Still Leads as Nation's Top Problem

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Government and political leadership remained Americans’ top concern in February, when asked to identify the “most important problem facing this country today.” Immigration emerged as the clear second choice, followed by the economy and inflation.

These findings are from a Feb. 2-16 Gallup poll, conducted before the United States and Israel launched military strikes on Iran on Feb. 28.

Overall, 29% of U.S. adults in February cited some aspect of government or politics as the country’s most important problem. This is similar to the 32% recorded in January and 26% in December. Immigration was mentioned by 20% — up sharply from 10% in January, but similar to the 19% citing it in December.

Economic concerns followed, with 11% mentioning the economy in general and 8% citing inflation or high prices. Mentions of the economy had risen to 17% in December, from 12% in November, possibly reflecting concern after the government shutdown that ended Nov. 12 and heightened political discussion of affordability.

Other issues cited by at least 4% of Americans include unifying the country (7%), problems with the judicial system and courts (6%, up from 3% in each of the prior two months), and problems related to elections and democracy (5%). Race relations/Racism, crime/violence and healthcare round out the top 10, each cited by 4%.

‘Government’ Approaching Trend High Points

Americans’ mentions of government-related issues as the nation’s top problem have exceeded 25% in most months since Donald Trump took office a year ago, averaging 27%. That compares with a 19% average during Joe Biden’s presidency and 24% during Trump’s first term.

Before that, from 2000 to 2016, mentions of government averaged 10% and only surpassed 20% a few times. The peak during that period was 33% in October 2013, during a federal government shutdown triggered by a prolonged budget standoff in Congress. It was also relatively high at points in Trump’s first term, such as 35% in February 2019 after another government shutdown, but this typically reflected high mentions by both parties.

Democrats Drive Elevated Government Mentions

The relatively high percentage of Americans citing government as the nation’s top problem in recent months is largely driven by Democrats, 44% of whom named some aspect of the government in February. This effectively tied the all-time high of 45% of Democrats naming it in February 2025 at the start of Trump’s second term.

Democratic mentions have averaged 40% during the past year, well above the 28% average during Trump’s first term. This aligns with Democrats having a historically negative view of the state of the country over the past year.

Democrats’ strong focus on government as the top problem contrasts with smaller proportions of independents (24%) and Republicans (19%) citing the issue in February. More broadly, the sustained partisan gap in mentions of government as the top problem during Trump’s second term contrasts with the Biden years and Trump’s first term, when large party differences were more episodic.

For the most part, partisans’ mentions of government during prior administrations were also much lower than Democrats’ mentions over the past year. The highest percentage of Republicans citing government as the top problem during Biden’s presidency was 30%, near the start of his term in 2021.

Most Democrats who mention government as the top problem in February point to Trump, or problems they associate with the Trump administration, such as corruption and executive overreach.

Republicans who name government more often criticize Democrats, perceived corruption or partisan gridlock, with only a small percentage critical of Trump. Independents’ responses are more varied, spanning concerns about Trump as well as broader critiques of U.S. politics.

Immigration Mentions Rise Across Party Groups

The rebound in immigration mentions in February reflects increases among all major party groups. Among Republicans, 32% named immigration in February, up from 19% in January. Democrats’ mentions rose from 5% to 18%, and independents’ from 8% to 15%.

The verbatim responses reveal starkly different perspectives within the immigration category. Republicans typically focus on illegal immigration, border security, deportation, and perceived crime or economic costs. Democrats’ comments center more on criticism of federal immigration policy, including recent Immigration and Customs Enforcement actions, as well as humanitarian concerns about the treatment of immigrants.

Even with February’s increase, Republicans remain less likely to cite immigration than they were at their 2024 peak, when 57% did so. Meanwhile, the 18% of Democrats naming immigration is near the highest levels recorded for that group in the past decade, comparable to readings in 2018 and 2019. That was during a surge of Central American migrants at the southern border during Trump’s first term that drew attention to the government’s family separation policies.

The February poll followed the killing of two U.S. citizens, Renee Good and Alex Pretti, by ICE agents in January during federal immigration enforcement operations. It also came after Trump sent White House Border Czar Tom Homan to Minneapolis to take over the ICE operation there. The attention to federal immigration enforcement sparked by these incidents likely contributed to the sharp increase in Americans’ mentions of immigration or immigration policy as the nation’s top problem in February, after mentions of the issue had subsided in January.

Although immigration surged as a top-of-mind issue in February, mentions of it remain below their recent peak in February 2024, when a record-high 28% of Americans named immigration as the top problem. That reading came mostly after the collapse of bipartisan immigration reform efforts in Congress following a historic influx of migrants at the southern border in late 2023.

Bottom Line

Americans’ concern about government remained historically elevated in February, driven largely by Democrats’ dissatisfaction with the current administration. At the same time, immigration regained prominence across party lines, though for sharply different reasons. Economic issues, while still present, receded from the forefront compared with late last year.

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