New Delhi: As US President Donald Trump’s second term in power kicks off, Americans remain dissatisfied with the state of the economy and role of money in politics. Healthcare affordability is also seen as a big national problem, according to a survey by Pew Research Center released Thursday.
Titled ‘Americans Continue To View Several Economic Issues As Top National Problems’, the survey report states that 72 percent Americans see the “role of money in politics” as one of the biggest problems in the country— the highest percentage among issues mentioned in the survey.
For Republicans, illegal immigration and inflation (73 percent each) remained the top concerns, while for Democrats the role of money in politics was the top concern (78 percent), followed by the affordability of healthcare (73 percent), gun violence (69 percent) and climate change (67 percent).
The growing federal budget deficit and the number of Americans living in poverty were also considered among the most pressing problems facing the country, according to the survey.
Overall, 67 percent Americans saw affordability of healthcare as a key national concern, 63 percent said the same for inflation, 51 percent for drug addiction and 50 percent for the state of moral values. Affordability of healthcare was a big concern for 61 percent Republicans.
As many as 56 percent of Americans were worried about the ability of Republicans and Democrats to work together.
Employment, racism, terrorism and climate change remained among the lesser concerns, though Republicans and Democrats disagree about the severity of some of these problems.
The survey was conducted from 27 January to 2 February this year among a total of 5,086 adults.
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How numbers stack up
Up to 73 percent of Republicans view illegal immigration as a very big problem, compared to just 23 percent of Democrats. Similarly, 69 percent of Democrats see gun violence as a significant issue, while only 26 percent of Republicans share this view.
Republicans and Democrats are more closely aligned in their views on domestic terrorism: 32 percent of Republicans and 36 percent of Democrats agree that it is a major concern.
On the topic of political cooperation, however, there has been a shift in perspectives. Republicans have become less concerned about the ability of Democrats and Republicans to work together, with only 48 percent now seeing it as a big problem, down from 57 percent in May 2024.
In contrast, Democrats’ concerns about political relations have remained relatively stable, with 64 percent viewing the ability of Democrats and Republicans to work together as a significant issue.
Also, while 48 percent of republicans in 2019 considered the way the US political system operates as a big problem, only 40 percent still share that view. Democrats’ views have changed little in this period.
Regarding the state of moral values, 32 percent of Democrats considered it a big problem just a year ago, but that percentage has surged to 51 percent now. Meanwhile, the share of Republicans who see the state of moral values as a significant issue has dropped by 13 points, from 61 percent last year to 48 percent today.
In terms of policy priorities, both Republicans and Democrats agree on the importance of addressing healthcare affordability, though they continue to diverge on issues like immigration, climate change and racism.
Democrats, for instance, are far more likely to see racism (55 percent) and climate change (67 percent) as critical issues, whereas Republicans downplay their significance.
Democrats are also more likely than Republicans to view “the impact of natural disasters” as a major issue, although the gap is smaller, with 54 percent of Democrats and 33 percent of Republicans sharing this concern.
(Edited by Nida Fatima Siddiqui)
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