Amid a surge in migrants at the Southern border and ongoing unrest in the Middle East, Americans have grown increasingly anxious about immigration and terrorism over the past year. At the same time, public concern about inflation has eased somewhat as the inflation rate has decreased from its 2023 levels. Despite this, more Americans still rank inflation as their top concern among 13 issues surveyed.
Gallup’s “most important problem facing this country” question reveals a slightly different hierarchy of concerns. For the second consecutive month, immigration tops Americans’ unprompted responses as the nation’s most pressing issue, with inflation also ranking highly.
Six Issues Worry the Majority of Americans
Each March, Gallup surveys Americans about their level of concern regarding various national issues as part of its Environment poll. This year’s survey, conducted from March 1-20, asked about 14 different issues, most of which have been regularly tracked since 2001.
Currently, 55% of Americans express a “great deal” of concern about inflation, just above the percentage worried about five other domestic issues. These include crime and violence (53%), hunger and homelessness (52%), the economy (52%), the availability and affordability of healthcare (51%), and federal spending and the budget deficit (51%).
Another four issues cause significant concern for less than half but at least four in 10 Americans: illegal immigration (48%), drug use (45%), the Social Security system (43%), and the possibility of future terrorist attacks in the U.S. (43%).
Concerns about the availability and affordability of energy (37%) and the quality of the environment (37%) rank lower, with race relations (35%) and unemployment (33%) being the least worrisome issues for Americans.
Immigration Tops Americans’ Unprompted Concerns
Gallup also asks Americans to name, unprompted, the most important problem facing the country today. Immigration leads the list, with 28% of Americans naming it as the top issue—consistent with February’s figures and tying the highest level of concern recorded since Gallup began tracking immigration mentions in 1981.
Government and poor leadership rank second at 19%, followed by the economy at 14%, and inflation at 11%.
Despite ranking high when asked directly, poverty and homelessness (6%) and crime (3%) are less frequently mentioned as top concerns in open-ended responses.
Growing Concerns Over Immigration and Terrorism, Easing Worries About Inflation
Over the past year, concerns about two economic issues have decreased: the economy in general (down eight points) and inflation (down six points). These declines likely reflect the significant drop in the inflation rate, from 6% before last year’s poll to 3.2% before this year’s survey.
Meanwhile, public anxiety over illegal immigration and the possibility of future terrorist attacks has increased. Concern about illegal immigration has risen by seven points since March 2023, driven largely by a near doubling of concern among Democrats (from 14% to 27%). Independent voters have also shown a slight increase in concern, while Republican concern remains high.
Although migrant crossings have decreased from record highs in December, they remain significantly elevated compared to pre-2021 levels.
Concerns about future terrorist attacks have also grown by seven points, though overall worry about this issue remains lower than in previous years, such as 2015 (51%) and 2016 (48%).
This heightened concern may be influenced by FBI Director Christopher Wray’s recent warnings to Congress about an increased risk of terrorism in the U.S., particularly in the wake of Hamas’ attack on Israel and subsequent tensions.
Partisan Differences in Issue Concerns
Significant differences in concern about national issues exist along party lines, with Republicans far more likely than Democrats to worry about most issues. The largest gaps are seen in concerns over federal spending and the deficit, illegal immigration, and inflation.
Democrats are more concerned than Republicans about race relations, the quality of the environment, the availability and affordability of healthcare, and hunger and homelessness.
Given the potential impact of independent voters on the upcoming presidential election, candidates may want to focus on issues like hunger and homelessness, inflation, healthcare, and crime, which are top concerns for this group.
Bottom Line
As presidential candidates make their pitches to voters, Americans are most likely to focus on what they have to say about inflation, crime, immigration, and the broader economy. Additionally, issues like hunger, homelessness, and healthcare access remain critical concerns for many voters.
Immigration’s prominence as the top issue for many Americans underscores the intense focus on this topic among a significant segment of the electorate.
