According to a poll issued on Monday, Americans now believe that the country’s biggest concern is a lack of leadership from President Biden and Congress, outperforming inflation, the immigration situation, and the status of the economy.
Despite Americans’ financial woes, “the government/poor leadership” has surpassed inflation as the “most significant problem facing this country now,” according to a Gallup Poll, with 21% citing it as the “most critical problem facing this country today,” up from 15% last year.
Last year, the top two issues were inflation and the economy, with 16% each, followed by the government (15%), immigration (8%), and unifying the country (6%).
Concerns about the economy have dropped 6 percentage points to 10% in the last year
Concerns about the economy have dropped 6 percentage points to 10% in the last year, while inflation has fallen one point to 15% and immigration has risen 3 points to 11%.
The percentage of Americans who named unification as an issue remained unchanged.
According to the most current data, Americans’ outlook appears to have matched the slowing rate of inflation, which decreased from 7.5% in January to 6.5% in December.
The poll was conducted between January 2nd and 22nd when the discovery of confidential documents at President Biden’s Delaware home and the US House of Representatives protracted debate on electing Rep. Kevin McCarthy as House Speaker dominated the news.
However, the poll found that Biden’s (41% approval rating) and Congress’s (21% approval rating) had remained essentially steady over the past year. Republicans (24%) say “government/poor leadership” is a bigger concern than Democrats (18%).
The Republicans rank inflation and the economy as the second most pressing issues 18%
Republicans rank inflation and the economy as the second most pressing issues (18%), followed by the economy (11%), morality, ethics, and the family (6%), and the federal budget deficit (5%).
Democrats prioritize inflation (11%), the economy (9%), race relations (9%), national unity (8%), and the environment (6%). And, while Americans may be concerned about the government, the economy is not exempt.
The economy is rated as poor by 45%, fair by 38%, and good by 15%. Only 2% rate it as good, a percentage that is only somewhat higher than the previous year. However, 72% predict the economy will worsen, while 22% believe it will improve.