Government Is The Country’s Biggest Problem, According To New Poll

A new poll shows that Americans think that government is the country’s biggest problem.

The results from the Gallup survey reveal that 18% of Americans say that “Government/Congress/Politicians” was the most important problem facing the United States in 2014. According to the polling organization’s own reporting, those concerns are bipartisan in nature, focusing on “President Barack Obama, the Republicans in Congress and general political conflict.”

In a nutshell, no political party or ideology can claim victory as a result of this poll, with the possible exception of libertarians who prefer a minimally intrusive government.

Although 18% may seem like a small number, it led the list of complaints. It was followed closely by “the economy in general” with 17%.

Only four issues received 10% or more of the vote. The other two were healthcare (10%) and unemployment (15%).

Although government scored the highest individually, it’s worth noting that unemployment and the economy, which are similar concerns, scored a combined 32%. That’s much higher than the 18% who said that government is the country’s biggest problem.

Only 8% of Americans cited immigration as the most important national problem. Six percent said that the federal budget deficit or debt is the most pressing issue. Only 5% claimed that a decline in morals or ethics is the most important concern.

The results of the poll, which was taken monthly throughout 2014, was not always consistent. As an example, concerns about unemployment were higher in the first half of 2014 than the second half. That figure reached 23% in February.

Race relations didn’t get much of a mention early in the year. However, in the wake of the grand jury decisions to not indict the police officers who killed Michael Brown and Eric Garner, that number rose to 13% by the end of the year.

The Gallup poll is based on interviews conducted with a random sample of approximately 1,000 adults living in the United States. The poll has a margin of sampling of ±1 percentage point.

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Government Is The Country’s Biggest Problem, According To New Poll