In August 2025, nine percent of survey respondents said that the most important problem facing the United States was the high cost of living and inflation. Another 24 percent said that the government and poor leadership was the most serious concern for the nation.

A survey conducted in July 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.

Supplementary Empirical Teaching Units in Political Science (SETUPS) for American Politics are computer-related modules designed for use in teaching introductory courses in American government and politics. The modules are intended to demonstrate the process of examining evidence and reaching conclusions and to stimulate students to independent, critical thinking and a deeper understanding of substantive content. They enable students with no previous training to make use of the computer to analyze data on political behavior or to see the results of policy decisions by use of a simulation model. The SETUPS: AMERICAN POLITICS modules were developed by a group of political scientists with experience in teaching introductory American government courses who were brought together in a workshop supported by a grant from the National Science Foundation in the summer of 1974. The American Political Science Association administered the grant, and the Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research was host to the workshop and provided data for most of the SETUPS. The modules were tested and evaluated during the 1974-1975 academic year by students and faculty in 155 classes at 69 universities and colleges. Appropriate revisions were made based upon this experience. This collection comprises 15 separate modules: (1) Political Socialization Across the Generations, (2) Political Participation, (3) Voting Behavior, The 1980 Election, (4) Elections and the Mass Media, (5) The Supreme Court in American Politics, Court Decisions, (6) The Supreme Court in American Politics, Police Interrogations, (7) The Dynamics of Political Budgeting, A Public Policy Simulation, State Expenditures, (8) The Dynamics of Political Budgeting, A Public Policy Simulation, SIMSTATE Simulation, (9) The Dynamics of Political Budgeting, A Public Policy Simulation, SIMSTATE II Simulation, (10) Fear of Crime, (11) Presidential Popularity in America, Presidential Popularity, (12) Presidential Popularity in America, Advanced Analyses, (13) Campaign '80, The Public and the Presidential Selection Process, (14) Voting Behavior, The 1976 Election, and (15) Policy Responsiveness and Fiscal Strain in 51 American Communities. Parts 8 and 9 are FORTRAN IV program SIMSTATE sourcedecks intended to simulate the interaction of state policies. Variables in the various modules provide information on respondents' level of political involvement and knowledge of political issues, general political attitudes and beliefs, news media exposure and usage, voting behavior (Parts 1, 2, and 3), and sectional biases (15). Other items provide information on respondents' views of government, politics, Ronald Reagan and Jimmy Carter as presidents, best form of government, government spending (Part 3), local police, the Supreme Court (Parts 4 and 15), the economy, and domestic and foreign affairs. Additional items probed respondents' opinions of prayer in school, abortion, the Equal Rights Amendment Law, nuclear energy, and the most important national problem and the political party most suitable to handle it (Part 3). Also included are items on votes of Supreme Court judges (Part 5), arrest of criminal suspects and their treatment by law enforcement agencies (Part 6), federal government expenditures and budgeting (Part 7), respondents' feelings of safety at home, neighborhood crime rate, frequency of various kinds of criminal victimization, the personal characteristics of the targets of those crimes (Part 10), respondents' opinions of and choice of party presidential candidates nominees (Part 13), voter turnout for city elections (15), urban unrest, and population growth rate. Demographic items specify age, sex, race, marital status, education, occupation, income, social class identification, religion, political party affiliation, and union membership.

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 ** and ** percent ranking it their primary political concerns respectively. In contrast, only *** 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 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.

Unemployment Rate in the United States increased to 4.30 percent in August from 4.20 percent in July 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.

Inflation Rate in the United States increased to 2.90 percent in August from 2.70 percent in July of 2025. This dataset provides - United States Inflation Rate - actual values, historical data, forecast, chart, statistics, economic calendar and news.

Abstract (en): 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. 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. ICPSR data undergo a confidentiality review and are altered when necessary to limit the risk of disclosure. ICPSR also routinely creates ready-to-go data files along with setups in the major statistical software formats as well as standard codebooks to accompany the data. In addition to these procedures, ICPSR performed the following processing steps for this data collection: Created variable labels and/or value labels.; Created online analysis version with question text.; Checked for undocumented or out-of-range codes.. Persons aged 18 and over living in households with telephones in the contiguous 48 United States. 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. 2009-10-29 First names were removed from the data file. A full product suite including online analysis with question text has been added. The location of the weight variable was also corrected. 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.

Direction of the country (1); most serious problems facing the country (2); economic situation (2); personal economic situation (2); opinion of the U.S. (2); like/dislike about the U.S. (2); U.S.-Mexican relations (2); confidence in U.S. to deal responsibly with world problems (1); opinion of U.S. policies affecting Mexico (3); agree/disagree with statement (3); cause of drug problems (1); illegal drugs (3); drug trafficking (6); U.S. illegal drug problem (1); interactions with Americans (1); opinions of Americans (2); American football playing (1); NAFTA (3); U.S. investment in Mexico (1); Mexican exports to the U.S. (1); U.S. imports to Mexico (1); Asian crisis (2); environmental protection (1); most serious environmental problem facing country (1); greatest polluters of environment (1); U.S.-Mexican cooperation to solve border environmental problems (2); descriptions of the U.S. (2); American culture (10); understanding of English language (2); U.S. Visas (8).

The Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in the United States expanded 2.10 percent in the second quarter of 2025 over the same quarter of the previous year. This dataset provides the latest reported value for - United States GDP Annual Growth Rate - plus previous releases, historical high and low, short-term forecast and long-term prediction, economic calendar, survey consensus and news.

Graph and download economic data for Median Sales Price of Houses Sold for the United States (MSPUS) from Q1 1963 to Q2 2025 about sales, median, housing, and USA.

In a survey conducted in May 2024, more than half of the people interviewed in Peru said that corruption was the most important problem in the South American country. The second most pressing issue according to public opinion, cited by slightly more than 39 percent of Peruvian respondents, was related to crime and public insecurity. Crime is also among the most mentioned problems by journalists and opinion leaders across Latin America.

This Data set is from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System survey of the United States. "The Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) is the worlds largest, on-going telephone health survey system, tracking health conditions and risk behaviors in the United States yearly since 1984. Conducted by the 50 state health departments as well as those in the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, Guam, and the U.S. Virgin Islands with support from the CDC, BRFSS provides state-specific information about issues such as asthma, diabetes, health care access, alcohol use, hypertension, obesity, cancer screening, nutrition and physical activity, tobacco use, and more." (http://www.cdc.gov/brfss/index.htm) Data URL: http://www.cdc.gov/brfss/maps/gis_data.htm All values a percentage from 0-100

This map layer shows the prevalent generations that make up the population of the United States using multiple scales. As of 2018, the most predominant generations in the U.S. are Baby Boomers (born 1946-1964), Millennials (born 1981-1998), and Generation Z (born 1999-2016). Currently, Millennials are the most predominant population in the U.S.A generation represents a group of people who are born around the same time and experience world events and trends during the same stage of life through similar mediums (for example, online, television, print, or radio). Because of this, people born in the same generation are expected to have been exposed to similar values and developmental experiences, which may cause them to exhibit similar traits or behaviors over their lifetimes. Generations provide scientists and government officials the opportunity to measure public attitudes on important issues by people’s current position in life and document those differences across demographic groups and geographic regions. Generational cohorts also give researchers the ability to understand how different developmental experiences, such as technological, political, economic, and social changes, influence people’s opinions and personalities. Studying people in generational groups is significant because an individual’s age is a conventional predictor for understanding cultural and political gaps within the U.S. population.Though there is no exact equation to determine generational cutoff points, it is understood that we designate generational spans based on a 15- to 20-year gap. The only generational period officially designated by the U.S. Census Bureau is based on the surge of births after World War II in 1946 and a significant decline in birth rates after 1964 (Baby Boomers). From that point, generational gaps have been determined by significant political, economic, and social changes that define one’s formative years (for example, Generation Z is considered to be marked by children who were directly affected by the al Qaeda attacks of September 11, 2001).In this map layer, we visualize six active generations in the U.S., each marked by significant changes in American history:The Greatest Generation (born 1901-1924): Tom Brokaw’s 1998 book, The Greatest Generation, coined the term ‘the Greatest Generation” to describe Americans who lived through the Great Depression and later fought in WWII. This generation had significant job and education opportunities as the war ended and the postwar economic booms impacted America.The Silent Generation (born 1925-1945): The title “Silent Generation” originated from a 1951 essay published in Time magazine that proposed the idea that people born during this period were more cautious than their parents. Conflict from the Cold War and the potential for nuclear war led to widespread levels of discomfort and uncertainty throughout the generation.Baby Boomers (born 1946-1964): Baby Boomers were named after a significant increase in births after World War II. During this 20-year span, life was dramatically different for those born at the beginning of the generation than those born at the tail end of the generation. The first 10 years of Baby Boomers (Baby Boomers I) grew up in an era defined by the civil rights movement and the Vietnam War, in which a lot of this generation either fought in or protested against the war. Baby Boomers I tended to have great economic opportunities and were optimistic about the future of America. In contrast, the last 10 years of Baby Boomers (Baby Boomers II) had fewer job opportunities and available housing than their Boomer I counterparts. The effects of the Vietnam War and the Watergate scandal led a lot of second-wave boomers to lose trust in the American government. Generation X (born 1965-1980): The label “Generation X” comes from Douglas Coupland’s 1991 book, Generation X: Tales for An Accelerated Culture. This generation was notoriously exposed to more hands-off parenting, out-of-home childcare, and higher rates of divorce than other generations. As a result, many Gen X parents today are concerned about avoiding broken homes with their own kids.Millennials (born 1981-1998): During the adolescence of Millennials, America underwent a technological revolution with the emergence of the internet. Because of this, Millennials are generally characterized by older generations to be technologically savvy.Generation Z (born 1999-2016): Generation Z or “Zoomers” represent a generation raised on the internet and social media. Gen Z makes up the most ethnically diverse and largest generation in American history. Like Millennials, Gen Z is recognized by older generations to be very familiar with and/or addicted to technology.Questions to ask when you look at this mapDo you notice any trends with the predominant generations located in big cities? Suburbs? Rural areas?Where do you see big clusters of the same generation living in the same area?Which areas do you see the most diversity in generations?Look on the map for where you, your parents, aunts, uncles, and grandparents live. Do they live in areas where their generation is the most predominant?

According to the Corruption Perception Index, Uruguay was perceived as the least corrupt country in Latin America and the Caribbean in 2024, with a score of 76 out of 100. Venezuela, on the other hand, was found to be the Latin American nation with the worst perceived level of corruption, at 10 points. A role model for Latin American democracy Uruguay has many factors contributing to its low public perception of corruption, from high average income levels to a close-knit urban population. At the forefront is the South American country's adherence to good governance and democracy. In fact, in 2024, Uruguay was ranked as the 13th most democratic country in the world. Going hand in hand with trust in institutions is the prospect of equal opportunities for Uruguayans social advancement. In this area, Uruguay is also ranked as the country in Latin America with the highest social mobility index score. A population in need of reconciliation Corruption has long been an issue souring Latin America. Many experts in the region believe it to be the biggest hindrance to their countries. At the top of this list is Peru, with the largest share of Latin American respondents who think corruption is their country's main problem, followed by Colombia and Brazil. In light of a history of drug trafficking and guerrilla warfare, the number of Colombians who believe that the corrupt elite has captured their political system ranks as the highest in the world. To overcome the consequences of this reputation, the Colombian government has made significant efforts to pass anti-corruption legislation, such as the Colombian Penal Code and the Anti-Corruption Act.

The Survey of Consumer Finances (SCF) is normally a triennial cross-sectional survey of U.S. families. The survey data include information on families' balance sheets, pensions, income, and demographic characteristics.

The week before the 2022 midterm election, at least ** 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.

Gym, health and fitness clubs stand at a dynamic crossroads, shaped by both impressive resilience and evolving consumer expectations. Despite economic headwinds—including persistent inflation, rising membership fees and supply chain disruptions—Americans’ appetite for fitness hasn’t waned. While higher prices and tariff-driven equipment costs have prompted some concerns around affordability and retention, leading operators have kept pace by doubling down on transparency, technological innovation and community-driven experiences, keeping the industry remarkably buoyant, even as members become more discerning and hybrid workout habits take root. Revenue has expanded at a CAGR of 7.1% to $45.7 billion in 2025, including an uptick of 2.0% that year. Home workouts and digital fitness surged in recent years, with brands like Peloton, Apple Fitness and countless app-based platforms filling the void. Still, the desire for social connection, accountability and access to specialized classes supported attendance at gyms and fitness centers, with group classes, boutique experiences and sports leagues (like the nation’s pickleball boom) fueling a new wave of growth. Technological integration has become standard, as fitness centers capitalized on mobile booking, wearables, hybrid class offerings and personalized digital experiences to boost retention. Gyms have also responded to sticky inflation and financial uncertainty by offering more flexible, tiered memberships and novel pay-per-visit plans, making fitness accessible across a wider range of budgets and life stages, boosting profit. Gym, health and fitness clubs will deepen their shift into a wellness-centric, tech-enabled ecosystem, with opportunities and challenges in equal measure. Demographic tailwinds will prove significant: as the population ages and healthcare costs climb, older adults will turn to gyms for exercise as well as holistic health management. Gyms, health and fitness centers are shifting toward integrated, medically informed offerings, blending classes with diagnostics, tracking devices and partnerships with healthcare providers. Affordability, digital convenience and privacy will be crucial considerations as gyms race to balance premium health solutions with accessibility. Gyms and fitness centers that innovate around flexibility and evidence-based care will sustain growth. Revenue is expected to grow at a CAGR of 1.4% to reach an estimated $49.1 billion by 2030.

In the first quarter of 2025, almost two-thirds percent of the total wealth in the United States was owned by the top 10 percent of earners. In comparison, the lowest 50 percent of earners only owned 2.5 percent of the total wealth. Income inequality in the U.S. Despite the idea that the United States is a country where hard work and pulling yourself up by your bootstraps will inevitably lead to success, this is often not the case. In 2023, 7.4 percent of U.S. households had an annual income under 15,000 U.S. dollars. With such a small percentage of people in the United States owning such a vast majority of the country’s wealth, the gap between the rich and poor in America remains stark. The top one percent The United States was the country with the most billionaires in the world in 2025. Elon Musk, with a net worth of 342 billion U.S. dollars, was among the richest people in the United States in 2025. Over the past 50 years, the CEO-to-worker compensation ratio has exploded, causing the gap between rich and poor to grow, with some economists theorizing that this gap is the largest it has been since right before the Great Depression.

The United States leads the world in diabetes-related health expenditure, with a staggering ***** billion U.S. dollars spent in 2024. This figure dwarfs spending in other nations, highlighting the significant economic burden of diabetes in America. China, the country with the second-highest expenditure, spent less than half that amount at ***** billion U.S. dollars. Global diabetes trends The prevalence of diabetes is rising worldwide, with projections indicating an increase from ** percent of the global adult population in 2024 to approximately ** percent by 2050. China and India are expected to have the highest number of diabetic adults by 2050, with China projected to have about *** million people with the condition. This global trend underscores the growing importance of diabetes management and prevention strategies across nations. Disparities in diabetes spending While Switzerland and the United States lead in per-patient diabetes expenditure, spending over 10,000 U.S. dollars annually per diabetic individual, stark contrasts exist globally. Bangladesh has the lowest average annual diabetes-related health expenditure at just ** U.S. dollars per person. This vast disparity in spending highlights the challenges faced by lower-income countries in managing diabetes effectively and emphasizes the need for more equitable access to diabetes care worldwide.