New Delhi: A new collaborative survey by Pew Research Center found that Americans continue to see economic issues as the country’s biggest problems, with rising concern over healthcare costs, inflation and the federal budget deficit, while concerns over immigration and illegal migration have reduced.
The survey was published on Monday and conducted between 20 and 26 April among 5,103 adults in the US.
About 73 per cent of respondents said the affordability of healthcare is a “very big problem” for the country, which is a six percentage points increase from February last year. Concern over the federal budget deficit has also increased, with 64 per cent now calling it a very big problem, compared to 57 per cent last year.
Inflation continues to rank high, with 66 per cent finding it worrisome, while concern over unemployment has also increased. Around 36 per cent now see unemployment as a major issue, an increase of 11 per cent from early 2025.
The survey also showed a shift in partisan attitudes since President Donald Trump began his second term.
“Across the board, Democrats are now more likely to say each economic issue we asked about is a very big problem than they were in the weeks after Donald Trump’s inauguration last year,” the survey report said.
Among Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents, 85 per cent said healthcare affordability is a very big problem, up by 12 points since February 2025. Among Republicans and Republican leaners, 60 per cent said the same.
The sharpest shift was seen on the subject of the federal budget deficit. The report noted that during former President Joe Biden’s presidency, Republicans were “about twice as likely as Democrats” to describe the deficit as a very big problem.
“That is no longer the case,” the survey said.
About 66 per cent of Democrats now say that the federal budget deficit is problematic, which is the highest share since Pew began asking this question in 2018. At the same time, the share of Republicans who said this has dropped from 71 per cent in May 2024 to 62 per cent now.
The partisan reversal was also visible on inflation. About 74 per cent of Democrats now rate inflation as a very big problem, compared with 55 per cent of Republicans. In May 2024, the positions were reversed, with 80 per cent of Republicans and 46 per cent of Democrats expressing concern.
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Immigration concerns fall, distrust in politics stays high
On immigration, the survey found that Americans are now less likely to see illegal immigration as a national problem.
“Americans are less likely to see illegal immigration as a very big problem for the country than they were at the start of Trump’s second term,” the report said.
Overall, 38 per cent said illegal immigration is a very big problem, which is a decrease from 48 per cent in February 2025. Among Republicans, the number fell from 73 per cent to 60 per cent, while among Democrats it dropped from 23 per cent to 17 per cent.
Beyond economic issues, Americans across party lines continued to express frustration with the political system. About 74 per cent said the role of money in politics is a very big problem, while 64 per cent said the inability of Democrats and Republicans to work together is a major issue for the country.
The survey was conducted through Pew’s American Trends Panel, a nationally representative panel recruited using address-based sampling. Interviews were conducted online and via live telephone calls in English and Spanish.
(Edited by Ratan Priya)