Home
/
RELIGION & LIBERTY ONLINE
/
Americans Say Government is Our Greatest Problem
Americans Say Government is Our Greatest Problem
Aug 10, 2026 4:34 AM

What is the worst problem facing America? According to a recent Gallup poll, most Americans agree with former President Reagan, who said government is not a the solution, government is the problem.

An average of 16 percent of Americans in 2015 mentioned some aspect of government—including President Obama, Congress, or political conflict—as the country’s chief problem. The economy came in second with 13 percent mentioning it, while unemployment and immigration tied for third at 8 percent.

While government takes the top slot, that’s still an answer given by fewer than one in five citizens. We can’t even seem e to a consensus about our biggest problems. Indeed, 2015 is only the second time since 2001 (2014 was the other year) that no single issue averaged 20 percent or more for the year. Rather than being focused on a single issue, there is a broad range of concerns troubling us; more than a dozen issuesreceived2-6 percent of the vote for worst problem.

Perhaps not surprising since this is an election year, thiswas the first year since 2007 in which immigration was one of the top four most frequently cited problems. Gallup notes that this is likely because mentions of healthcare dropped from 10 percent in 2014 (when Obamacare was frequently in the news) to 6 percent in 2015.

Rounding out the top 10 were five problems, each averaging 5 percent: ethical/moral decline, race relations/racism, terrorism, the federal budget deficit or debt, and education.

Six other issues received 3 percent each: poverty/hunger/homelessness, national security, gap between rich and poor, crime/violence, foreign aid, and ISIS/situation in Iraq.

What would make the top three issue in you list of America’s greatest problems.

Comments
Welcome to mreligion comments! Please keep conversations courteous and on-topic. To fosterproductive and respectful conversations, you may see comments from our Community Managers.
Sign up to post
Sort by
Show More Comments
RELIGION & LIBERTY ONLINE
When it comes to plastic straw bans, won’t somebody please think of the children?
Twenty years ago on The Simpsons, Helen Lovejoy gave us one of the most ubiquitous rallying cries in politics: Homer: Mr. Mayor, I hate to break it to you, but this town is infested by bears. Lovejoy: Think of the children! [The mayor sets up a Bear Patrol, which costs tax money. One week later, the citizens have a plaint.] Homer: Down with taxes! Down with taxes! Lovejoy: Won’t somebody please think of the children? The attempt to gain support...
Peter Heslam on wealth creation among the global poor
Throughout our debates about global poverty and economic inequality, critics of capitalism routinely raise the point that half of the world’s population live on less than $2 per day, while wealth among the other half continues to “concentrate.” The underlying assumption is clear: For so many to be making so little, someone (somewhere) must surely be takingmuch. Yet given that such a statistic actually represents a high-water mark in human historyfor all people — rich and poor alike — we’d...
Foreign aid fraud concerns ‘valid,’ says UK chief
The man who oversees the UK’s foreign aid budget says that public concerns about fraud, abuse, and futility associated with international development programs are “valid.” And he plans to fight those perceptions by launching an evangelistic campaign on behalf of the government. Matthew Rycroft, permanent secretary for the Department for International Development (DfID), told a civil service website that foreign aid skeptics raise two chief objections: Either they believe that “the problems are too big” to fix or that “the...
We are all New Deal socialists now
President Trump is known for public unveiling his inner thoughts on Twitter. But one of the most ments he’s ever made came recently in a private discussion with lawmakers about trade policy. According to Sen. Jerry Moran, R-Kan., when senators visited the White Housethey told the president what farmers want is access to markets, not a payment from government. To this Trump replied, “I’m surprised, I’ve never heard of anybody who didn’t want a payment from government.” Unfortunately, the president...
How you can listen to Radio Free Acton
Radio Free Acton, the official podcast of the Acton Institute, has gone through a lot of change in the past year. Now featuring more segments, varied guests and an expanded presence on over twelve podcast apps, Radio Free Acton is easier to listen to than ever before. So how can you make sure you never miss another episode? For many people, especially younger listeners, accessing a podcast may seem obvious. But did you know that48 percentof people still don’t know...
C.S. Lewis on why we have cause to be uneasy
If, like me, you spend a lot of time online—especially on social media—or watching the news you probably have a constant, low-level sense of anxiety. Always focusing on the problems in the world can cause us to feel a perpetual sense of unease. But while we may try to blame this feeling on the state of the world, deep down we know there must be something more to it. We have a sense that something is truly wrong, as if...
FAQ: The U.S.-EU plan to reduce tariffs
On Wednesday afternoon, President Donald Trump and European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker announced a new transatlantic plan to “make our planet a better, more secure, and more prosperous place” by lowering tariffs, trade barriers, and regulations between the U.S. and the EU. Here’s what you need to know. What did the two leaders announce? The U.S. and EU signed a joint statement of intention to pursue four goals: “First of all, to work together toward zero tariffs, zero non-tariff barriers,...
Why we borrow and save money
Note: This is post #87 in a weekly video series on basic economics. Why do people borrow and save? How does it affect how we live our lives? And what affects the desire to borrow and save? In this video by Marginal Revolution University, Alex Tabarrok explains the lifecycle theory of savings and how the supply and demand for loanable funds affects our decision to e either borrowers or savers. (If you find the pace of the videos too slow,...
‘If anyone was ever a socialist it was Jesus’: Democratic Socialists of America leader
Last week, Kelley Rose told the national media why she helped found a chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America: Jesus made her do it. Fittingly, she told her story at taxpayer expense. ments came as part of a glowing profile of the DSA that National Public Radio posted on July 26 mistitled, “What You Need to Know About the Democratic Socialists of America.” Rose, a 36-year-oldwho co-founded the DSA’s North Central West Virginia chapter, told NPR: “I might be...
Radio Free Acton: Interview with a Venezuelan dissident; Jared Meyer on the sharing economy
In this episode of Radio Free Acton, Noah Gould, summer intern at Acton, interviews Javier Avila, a Venezuelan dissident who speaks of both the bleak and hopeful future he sees for the resistance against tyrannical government in Venezuela. Then, another Acton summer intern, Jenna Suchyta, talks to Jared Meyer, senior fellow at the Foundation for Government Accountability, about the sharing economy. Check out these additional resources on this week’s podcast topics: Read “Venezuela: Latin America’s socialist nightmare” by Noah Gould...
Related Classification
Copyright 2023-2026 - www.mreligion.com All Rights Reserved