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.
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 ** percent of Americans was inflation and prices. A further ** percent of respondents were most concerned about jobs and the economy.
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These data were gathered in personal interviews with respondents who represented Americans in senior positions with knowledge of and influence upon international affairs and foreign policy by the Gallup Organization, Inc., between November 20, 1978, and January 12, 1979. These individuals were chosen from the areas of national politics, governmental offices, business, education, the media, national unions, and other organizations with national influence. Respondents were asked to list the biggest problems facing the country, in general, as well as the biggest foreign policy problems. Other questions explored the relationship between domestic and foreign policy priorities, e.g., aid to education, defense spending, farm subsidies, and domestic welfare/relief programs. Respondents' opinions were sought about the roles of various individuals and institutions in the creation of foreign policy, and the appropriate responses of the United States to actions by the former Soviet Union and other countries. They also guaged the threat of communism to the United States in several countries. Other questions covered foreign economic aid, military aid/selling military equipment to other nations, the role of the United States in world affairs, and the use of United States troops in other parts of the world. Respondents were asked to rate the performance of Secretary of State Cyrus Vance, and opinions were sought about the type of role that various individuals and institutions (e.g., the president, the CIA, the military, the United Nations, and the Congress) should play in the creation of foreign policy. Respondents' political participation and orientation was also measured. In a similar survey conducted in November 1978, many of the same questions were asked of a sample of the general public in the United States. The results of that survey are collected in AMERICAN PUBLIC OPINION AND U.S. FOREIGN POLICY: GENERAL PUBLIC, 1979 (ICPSR 7748).
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This study is part of a quadrennial series designed to investigate the opinions and attitudes of the general public on matters related to foreign policy, and to define the parameters of public opinion within which decision-makers must operate. This public opinion study of the United States focused on respondents' opinions of the United States leadership role in the world and the challenges the country faces internationally and is comprised of two parts, the July 2008 and the September 2008 surveys. In particular, the July 2008 survey covers United States foreign policy, globalization, trade and immigration, the rise of China, and the United States-Japan relationship. Regarding United States foreign policy, respondents were asked to give their views on whether the United States should take an active part in world affairs, threats to vital interests in the next ten years, foreign policy goals, treaties and agreements, the United Nations and the United Nations Security Council, conflict between Christians and Muslims, and combating terrorism. Additional questions included whether respondents favored the United States having military bases in other countries, their opinions about justifications for the use of United States troops abroad, the Iraq War, nuclear weapons and nuclear fuel, and participants' views on several countries and world organizations. Regarding globalization, trade, and immigration, respondents gave their opinions on whether globalization is good or bad for the United States, lowering trade barriers, the trade practices of various countries, the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), economic competitiveness of the United States economy, and the future of United States power and the next generation of Americans. In addition, on the topic of globalization and immigration, queries included the importance of Asia and Europe, the pace of globalization, fairness of income distribution, foreign investments in American companies, the level of legal immigration into the United States and whether or not immigration is good. Concerning the rise of China, respondents were asked to compare the size and potential of the United States and China economies and their implications, loans between the countries, how to deal with China's increase in power, and whether China or Japan is more important to the United States. On the subject of the United States-Japan relationship, participants gave their opinions regarding the amending of Japan's constitution to allow for a wider range of military activities, Japan's development of nuclear weapons, and what factors contribute to Japan's global influence. Part 2, the September 2008 survey, commissioned to gauge whether any substantial changes in attitudes occurred due to the financial crisis, repeated a subset of questions from the July 2008 survey and focused on respondents' attitudes toward trade and globalization. Demographic and other background information includes age, race, gender, marital status, religious affiliation, political party affiliation, employment status, education, household composition, type of housing, state of residence, and access to the Internet.
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Graph and download economic data for Yield on New Issues of High-Grade Corporate Bonds, First National City Bank for United States (M1347AUSM156NNBR) from Jan 1948 to Dec 1961 about issues, bonds, yield, corporate, new, interest rate, banks, interest, depository institutions, rate, and USA.
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The current political discourse in the United States focuses on extreme political polarization as a contributor to ills ranging from government shutdowns to awkward family holidays. And indeed, a large body of research has documented differences between liberals and conservatives–primarily focused on Republicans and Democrats in the United States. We combine large international surveys and more fine-grained surveys of United States citizens to compare differences in opinion between Republicans and Democrats to the full range of world opinion on moral issues (N = 37,653 in 39 countries) and issues of free speech (N = 40,786 in 38 countries). When viewed in the full distribution, polarization between Democrats and Republicans appears relatively small, even on divisive issues such as abortion, sexual preference, and freedom of religious speech. The average Democrat-Republic overlap is greater than 70% of the country pair overlaps across eight moral issues, meaning that 70% of the country pairs are more dissimilar from each other than Democrats and Republicans are dissimilar; similarly, the average Democrat-Republic overlap is greater than 79% of the country pair overlaps across five freedom of speech issues. These results suggest that cross-cultural comparisons are useful for putting differences between political partisans within the same country in context.
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These data are being released as a preliminary version to facilitate early access to the study for research purposes. This collection has not been fully processed by ICPSR at this time, and data are released in the format provided by the principal investigators. As the study is processed and given enhanced features by ICPSR in the future, users will be able to download the updated versions of the study. Please report any data errors or problems to user support, and we will work with you to resolve any data-related issues. The American National Election Study (ANES): 2016 Pilot Study sought to test new instrumentation under consideration for potential inclusion in the ANES 2016 Time Series Study, as well as future ANES studies. Much of the content is based on proposals from the ANES user community submitted through the Online Commons page, found on the ANES home page. The survey included questions about preferences in the presidential primary, stereotyping, the economy, discrimination, race and racial consciousness, police use of force, and numerous policy issues, such as immigration law, health insurance, and federal spending. It was conducted on the Internet using the YouGov panel, an international market research firm that administers polls that collect information about politics, public affairs, products, brands, as well as other topics of general interest.
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.
The survey shows the public approval towards president Obama regarding important national issues. The poll was done on April 5 to 8, 2012. 44 percent of the respondents approved his handling with the topic economy, while 54 percent disapproved and 2 percent had no opinion.
This special topic poll, conducted April 30 to May 6, 1996, is part of a continuing series of monthly surveys that solicit public opinion on the presidency and on a range of other political and social issues. This poll sought Americans' views on the most important problems facing the United States, their local communities and their own families. Respondents rated the public schools, crime, and drug problems at the national and local levels, their level of optimism about their own future and that of the country, and the reasons they felt that way. Respondents were asked whether they were better off financially than their parents were at their age, whether they expected their own children to be better off financially than they were, and whether the American Dream was still possible for most people. Respondents then compared their expectations about life to their actual experiences in areas such as job security, financial earnings, employment benefits, job opportunities, health care benefits, retirement savings, and leisure time. A series of questions asked whether the United States was in a long-term economic and moral decline, whether the country's main problems were caused more by a lack of economic opportunity or a lack of morality, and whether the United States was still the best country in the world. Additional topics covered immigration policy and the extent to which respondents trusted the federal, state, and local governments. Demographic variables included respondents' sex, age, race, education level, marital status, household income, political party affiliation, political philosophy, voter registration and participation history, labor union membership, the presence of children in the household, whether these children attended a public school, and the employment status of respondents and their spouses. telephone interviewThe data available for download are not weighted and users will need to weight the data prior to analysis.The data collection was produced by Chilton Research Services of Radnor, PA. Original reports using these data may be found via the ABC News Polling Unit Website.According to the data collection instrument, code 3 in the variable Q909 (Education Level) included respondents who answered that they had attended a technical school.The original data file contained four records per case and was reformatted into a data file with one record per case. To protect respondent confidentiality, respondent names were removed from the data file.The CASEID variable was created for use with online analysis. The data contain a weight variable (WEIGHT) that should be used in analyzing the data. This poll consists of "standard" national representative samples of the adult population with sample balancing of sex, race, age, and education. Households were selected by random-digit dialing. Within households, the respondent selected was the adult living in the household who last had a birthday and who was at home at the time of interview. Persons aged 18 and over living in households with telephones in the contiguous 48 United States. Datasets: DS1: ABC News Listening to America Poll, May 1996
As part of an ongoing data collection effort, CBS News and The New York Times conducted a series of interviews. The substantive common denominator in the surveys was a continuing evaluation of the Reagan presidency. Each survey also raised questions of topical relevance and/or broader social concern, including the following: Part 1: Government figures and race relations in New York City. Part 2: The space program, 1988 presidential candidates, the Iran-Contra matter, economic problems, and the Strategic Defense Initiative. Part 3: The Tower Commission Report and the Iran-Contra matter. Part 4: Ronald Reagan's speech of March 4, 1987 and the Iran-Contra matter. Part 5: Television evangelists, focusing on the PTL and Jim Bakker. Parts 6 and 7: Israeli involvement in the Jonathan Pollard spy case and the Iranian arms sale, and relations between the United States and Israel. Part 8: The Iran-Contra matter and 1988 presidential candidates with special emphasis on Gary Hart. Part 9: The Constitution, examining the operation, characteristics and relations among the three branches of the federal government. Part 10: The Iran-Contra hearings and testimony and actions of Oliver North. Part 11: The Iran-Contra hearings and testimony of Oliver North, Robert McFarlane, and John Poindexter. Part 12: Aid to the contras, the Iranian arms sale, the Bork nomination to the Supreme Court, and l988 presidential candidates focusing on George Bush. Part 13: Pope John Paul the Second and moral, social, and political issues facing the Catholic Church. Part 14: The role of parish priests and the current moral, social, and political issues facing the Catholic Church. Part 15: Arms control and Supreme Court nominee Robert Bork. Part 16: Supreme Court nominee Robert Bork and United States Navy ships in the Persian Gulf. Part 17: Business and industry in the United States. Part 18: l988 presidential candidates, social and economic problems facing the United States, and a comparison of the the two major political parties. Part 19: The campaigns of l988 Presidential candidates from each party, social and economic problems facing the United States, and Iowa's caucus system. Part 20: The Ginsburg nomination to the Supreme Court and his withdrawal, and respondents' opinions of factors that might disqualify someone from serving in public office. Part 21: The federal budget deficit, foreign trade, 1988 presidential candidates, and United States-Soviet arms control negotiations. Part 22: 1988 presidential candidates, and the re-entry of Gary Hart into the race. All surveys contain demographic information on respondents.
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Unemployment Rate in the United States decreased to 4.10 percent in June from 4.20 percent in May of 2025. This dataset provides the latest reported value for - United States Unemployment Rate - plus previous releases, historical high and low, short-term forecast and long-term prediction, economic calendar, survey consensus and news.
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By tapping into the perspectives of older adults and their caregivers, the University of Michigan National Poll on Healthy Aging (NPHA) helps inform the public, health care providers, policymakers, and advocates on issues related to health, health care and health policy affecting Americans 50 years of age and older. The poll is designed as a recurring, nationally representative household survey of U.S. adults, which allows assessment of issues in a timely fashion. Launched in spring 2017, the NPHA is modeled after the highly successful University of Michigan C.S. Mott Children's Hospital National Poll on Children's Health. The NPHA grew out of a strong interest in aging-related issues among many members of the University of Michigan Institute for Healthcare Policy and Innovation (IHPI), which brings together more than 600 faculty who study health, health care and the impacts of health policy. IHPI directs the poll which is sponsored by AARP and Michigan Medicine, the University of Michigan academic medical center.
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Graph and download economic data for New Corporate Securities Issued, Debt, All Industries for United States (Q10119USQ144NNBR) from Q1 1948 to Q1 1964 about issues, debt, securities, corporate, new, industry, and USA.
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This dataset was designed to provide information on the personal and political backgrounds, political attitudes, and relevant behavior of party leaders. The data pertain to Democratic and Republican party elites holding office during the election year of 1984 and include County and State Chairs, members of the Democratic and Republican National Committees, and delegates to the 1984 National Conventions. These data focus on the "representativeness" of the party elites on a variety of dimensions and also permit a comparison of party leaders from the local, state, and national organizational levels. Special emphasis is placed on the presidential election, the presidential nominations system, public policy issues current in the 1984 campaign, and the future of the political parties. In addition, special note was taken of the views of women and minorities and the problem of providing them with representation in the parties. The question of whether their policy views and ideologies differed from other political party elites was also explored. Specific variables include characterization of respondent's political beliefs on the liberal-conservative scale, length of time the respondent had been active in the party, and the respondent's opinions on minorities in the party, party unity, national- and local-level party strength, and party loyalty. Respondents were also queried on attitudes toward important national problems, defense spending, and inflation. In addition, their opinions were elicited on controversial provisions instituted by their parties and on the directions their parties should take in the future. Demographic characteristics are supplied as well.
According to a 2023 survey, Americans were politically divided on how much attention the U.S. government should pay to problems overseas. Republicans have grown more concerned about domestic problems throughout the last few years, with 71 percent in 2023 stating that the U.S. should concentrate more on problems in the United States than other countries. In comparison, only 39 percent of Democrats agreed that the country should focus more on domestic problems.
The goal of this study was to test specific hypotheses illustrating the relationships among serious victimization experiences, the mental health effects of victimization, substance abuse/use, and delinquent behavior in adolescents. The study assessed familial and nonfamilial types of violence. It was designed as a telephone survey of American youth aged 12-17 living in United States households and residing with a parent or guardian. One parent or guardian in each household was interviewed briefly to establish rapport, secure permission to interview the targeted adolescent, and to ensure the collection of comparative data to examine potential nonresponse bias from households without adolescent participation. All interviews with both parents and adolescents were conducted using Computer-Assisted Telephone Interviewing (CATI) technology. From the surveys of parents and adolescents, the principal investigators created one data file by attaching the data from the parents to the records of their respective adolescents. Adolescents were asked whether violence and drug abuse were problems in their schools and communities and what types of violence they had personally witnessed. They were also asked about other stressful events in their lives, such as the loss of a family member, divorce, unemployment, moving to a new home or school, serious illness or injury, and natural disaster. Questions regarding history of sexual assault, physical assault, and harsh physical discipline elicited a description of the event and perpetrator, extent of injuries, age at abuse, whether alcohol or drugs were involved, and who was informed of the incident. Information was also gathered on the delinquent behavior of respondents and their friends, including destruction of property, assault, theft, sexual assault, and gang activity. Other questions covered history of personal and family substance use and mental health indicators, such as major depression, post-traumatic stress disorders, weight changes, sleeping disorders, and problems concentrating. Demographic information was gathered from the adolescents on age, race, gender, number of people living in household, and grade in school. Parents were asked whether they were concerned about violent crime, affordable child care, drug abuse, educational quality, gangs, and the safety of their children at school. In addition, they were questioned about their own victimization experiences and whether they discussed personal safety issues with their children. Parents also supplied demographic information on gender, marital status, number of children, employment status, education, race, and income.
The National Network dataset is as of December 22, 2020 and is from the Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) along with the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), and part of the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT)/Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) National Transportation Atlas Database (NTAD). The National Network was authorized by the Surface Transportation Assistance Act of 1982 (P.L. 97-424) and specified in the U.S. Code of Federal Regulations (23 CFR 658) to require states to allow conventional combinations on "the Interstate System and those portions of the Federal-aid Primary System serving to link principal cities and densely developed portions of the states on high volume routes utilized extensively by large vehicles for interstate commerce which do not have any unusual characteristics causing current or anticipated safety problems. “The National Network (NN) includes almost all of the Interstate Highway System and other, specified non-Interstate highways. On March 31, 2025, four (4) records were updated to correct their "SIGNT1" and "SIGNN1" values. “The National Network (NN) includes almost all of the Interstate Highway System and other, specified non-Interstate highways. The network comprises more than 200,000 miles of highways. The National Network supports interstate commerce by regulating the size of trucks. This file is a geospatial representation of the National Network as described in 23 CFR 658 Appendix A and should not be interpreted as the official National Network and should not be used for truck size and weight enforcement purposes or for navigation. A data dictionary, or other source of attribute information, is accessible at https://doi.org/10.21949/1529045
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This article conducts a comparative analysis of national park legislation, focusing on insights from the US National Park System to inform the development of China's emerging national park framework. Against the backdrop of a global conservation movement, the US system serves as a valuable model for China, which initiated its own national park system in 2017. On October 12, 2021, China has formally established its inaugural set of national parks, comprising the Three-River-Source National Park, the Giant Panda National Park, the Northeast China Tiger and Leopard National Park, the Hainan Tropical Forests National Park, and the Wuyishan National Park. Encompassing approximately 230,000 square kilometres, these five national parks safeguard nearly 30% of China's crucial terrestrial wildlife species. As China endeavours to enact comprehensive legislation for its national parks, this research aims to contribute to the ongoing efforts by addressing key questions such as the efficacy of the US's "One National Park, One Law" model, the governance dynamics between federal, state, and local entities, and strategies for balancing conservation with diverse land uses. The analysis spans five sections, exploring the historical evolution of the US National Park System, its legal framework, challenges faced by US national parks, and policy recommendations for China. The US experience highlights the importance of establishing clear legal authorities, fostering robust public participation mechanisms, and harmonizing relationships with Indigenous communities. The findings presented in this study aspire to facilitate a nuanced understanding of national park legislation, promoting international collaboration between the US and China for the sustainable management of natural lands and the protection of global biodiversity.
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.