In this 2018 survey, eight percent of respondents stated they think the biggest problem for the United States today is Donald Trump. In fact, most of the important problems mentioned are somehow related to the current POTUS – the most mentioned one being immigration and racism.

A country divided

Since Trump’s inauguration in January 2017, political camps in the United States are deeply divided and global politics is in turmoil; Trump’s job approval ratings are notoriously low, and in fact, they are lower than Reagan’s or Nixon’s averages ever were. Trump’s leadership is controversial at best and his executive orders often cause protests, especially among Democrats and liberals – like the travel ban for Muslims.

On the other side

One of Trump’s main campaign promises was a wall on the border with Mexico in order to keep potential illegal immigrants out and enhance security for American citizens. When he did not get the majority for this plan, he declared a national emergency to force the budget to be allocated, even though the majority of Americans did not support this idea, and it is unclear if the situation at the Mexican border actually warrants it. In fact, the total number of unauthorized immigrants has decreased over the last few years and today, many Americans believe that their country benefits from immigrants and their work .

A survey conducted in February 2025 found that the most important issue for 24 percent of Americans was inflation and prices. A further 12 percent of respondents were most concerned about jobs and the economy.

In December 2024, 11 percent of survey respondents said that the most important problem facing the United States was the high cost of living and inflation. Another 20percent said that the government and poor leadership was the most serious concern for the nation.

According to a 2023 survey, young adults in the United States were divided when it came to important political issues. However, more than half of Americans between 18 and 34 considered the cost of living and inflation the most important political issue.

In a survey conducted between 2022 and 2023, stark divisions between Democrats and Republicans emerged on a number political issues. One of the most pronounced disparities was in regards to government responsibility for ensuring universal healthcare access, with less than one-third of Republicans in favor compared to 85 percent of Democrats. Furthermore, environmental protection emerged as another polarizing topic, with just 26 percent of Republicans prioritizing it over energy development, in contrast to the 81 percent of Democrats who regarded it as a top priority.

According to the data from January 2024, 22 percent of respondents said that rising health care costs were the most important health issue facing the United States. Mental health ranked second on the list with 15 percent. Issues with healthcare costsCurrently, the most urgent problem facing American healthcare is the high costs of care. The high expense of healthcare may deter people from getting the appropriate treatment when they need medical care or cause them to completely forego preventative care visits. Many Americans reported that they may skip prescription doses or refrain from taking medication as prescribed due to financial concerns. Such health-related behavior can result in major health problems, which may raise the long-term cost of care. Inflation, medical debt, and unforeseen medical expenses have all added to the burden that health costs are placing on household income. Gun violence issueThe gun violence epidemic has plagued the United States over the past few years, yet very little has been done to address the issue. In recent years, gun violence has become the leading cause of death among American children and teens. Even though more than half of Americans are in favor of tougher gun control regulations, there is little political will to strongly reform the current gun law. Gun violence has a deep traumatic impact on survivors and society, it is developing into a major public health crisis in the United States.

During a July 2024 survey fielded in 10 Central and South American countries, approximately 29 percent of responding exhibition companies said they viewed the state of the economy in their home markets as the industry's most important issue. Internal management challenges and competition from within the exhibition industry followed, mentioned by 17 and 12 percent of respondents, respectively. Meanwhile, in North America, the leading challenges of the Mexican exhibition industry also included the state of Mexico's economy and internal management-related obstacles.

According to a survey from late December 2024, the two most important issues among Republican voters in the United States were inflation and immigration, with 25 and 22 percent ranking it their primary political concerns respectively. In contrast, only two percent of Democrats considered immigration their most important issue. Inflation and healthcare were the leading issues among democrats in the U.S.

In a survey conducted in 2022, 64 percent of the opinion leaders and prominent journalists surveyed in Latin America said that job creation and economic growth was the most important problem Latin America would face in the incoming 18 months. The second main issue according to these experts was inflation and economic instability.

A 2024 survey found that over half of U.S. individuals indicated the cost of accessing treatment was the biggest problem facing the national healthcare system. This is much higher than the global average of 32 percent and is in line with the high cost of health care in the U.S. compared to other high-income countries. Bureaucracy along with a lack of staff were also considered to be pressing issues. This statistic reveals the share of individuals who said select problems were the biggest facing the health care system in the United States in 2024.

In 2023, pollution of drinking water was the most concerning environmental issue in the United States according to both Democrats and Republicans. 64 percent of Democrats said they worried a great deal about drinking water quality, compared to 41 percent of Republicans. Meanwhile, 62 percent of Democrats said they worried a great deal about global warming or climate change, compared to just 14 percent of Republicans.

According to a survey conducted in 2023, 55 percent of Americans said that they disapproved of the way President Biden was handling the issue of immigration and the issue of guns in the United States. A further 45 percent said that they disapproved of the way President Biden was handling the issue of race in that year.

When asked to choose the single most important issue for the upcoming 2022 congressional midterm elections, economic policy and abortion are the top concerns. The importance of abortion in 2022 has nearly tripled since the midterm elections of 2018. Respondents indicated that healthcare and immigration are also important. Healthcare was the most important issue in 2018 but has since dropped 12 percentage points.

According to a recent survey conducted in 17 Latin American countries, the main problem was the economy, including economic and financial problems. Unemployment ranked second, with 13.4 percent of the respondents, and crime and public security issues came close in third, with 13.2 percent.

When considering who to vote for in the 2024 U.S. Presidential Election, the economy was the most important issue for more than half of Republicans, compared to only 14 percent of Democrats. Preserving democracy was the most important issue among Democrats when deciding who to vote for.

In 2022, 89 percent of surveyed Generation Z said that protecting access to clean water and fresh air was important to the kind of America in which they want to live, followed by 88 percent who advocated for the importance of reducing gun violence and mass shootings in America.

A Gen Z perspective

These findings may reflect the fact that Americans have been experiencing a rise in gun-related violence, mass shootings, and climate change concerns in the last few years, at the same time that Gen Z has been aging into adulthood. In addition, Gen Z have had to grow up in midst of political tension following social conflicts such as the COVID-19 pandemic disproportionately affecting marginalized groups, race-related protests over police brutality, and a ban on abortion recently implemented in many U.S. states, making it unsurprising that the majority of the generation also promoted the importance of preserving individual rights and freedoms, addressing systemic racism, upholding women’s reproductive rights, and safeguarding the rights of vulnerable populations.

Generational differences

Differing from older generations in the U.S., Gen Z were least likely to identify as Republican, to trust in the government, and to say that they are proud to live in the United States, with only 16 percent of Gen Z being proud to live in the U.S. in comparison to 73 percent of Baby Boomers. Gen Z were also found less likely to have a religious upbringing or have participated in religious services when they were growing up. In addition, they were found more likely to identify as part of the LGBTQ community.

According to a survey conducted in 2023, 50 percent of Americans were very concerned about bullying in public schools in their local area in the United States. Students not meeting learning objectives, the banning of books, sexual abuse, and depression and anxiety among students rounded out the top five issues that Americans were very concerned about in that year.

The week before the 2022 midterm election, at least 60 percent of people in the United States felt that inflation, jobs & the economy, and healthcare, and national security were very important issues leading up to the 2022 midterm elections. Climate and the environment was rated as being one of the least important issues for Americans and American voters.

This statistic shows the results of a survey among Americans regarding what they think what issues Donald Trump will address in an effective way in 2017, by gender. 40 percent of female respondents stated that Donald Trump will address the fight against ISIS effectively.

A survey released in April 2024 found that over 30 percent of Americans considered a rise of fascism and extremism their largest sociopolitical concern regarding the future of the United States. However, concerns varied greatly by political party, with 47 percent of Democrats considering a rise of fascism and extremism their leading concern, compared to only 15 percent of Republicans.