According to a recent Pew Research Center survey, more Americans see money’s role in politics as a “big problem” (72%) than any other option they were given. Lagging behind it are issues such as the affordability of healthcare (67%), inflation (63%) and the federal deficit (57%).
Only a quarter (25%) of those surveyed said unemployment is a significant issue, down from a high of 50% in 2020.
Issues that only around a third of respondents said were “big problems” included Domestic terrorism (34%), International terrorism (36%) and racism (36%).
Half (50%) of respondents believe the state of moral values is a major concern. There isn’t much difference along partisan lines, with 51% of Democrats and 48% of Republicans agreeing.
However, a major shift in both parties has occurred since the 2024 presidential election. In 2023, only 39% of Democrats were concerned about the country’s moral values, with 69% of Republicans saying it was a significant problem.
Regarding partisanship, the three issues of concern with the widest gap between Democrats and Republicans are climate change, illegal immigration, and gun violence. Almost half (48%) of Americans believe illegal immigration is a big problem, with 23% of Democrats and 73% of Republicans, a difference of 50 percentage points. For gun violence, 48% of respondents believe it is a significant concern, with 26% of Republicans and 69% of Democrats, a gap of 43%.
Climate change provides the largest partisan divide, with only 13% of Republicans and 67% of Democrats saying it is a “big problem,” a difference of 54 percentage points. This averages out to only 41% who list climate change as a significant concern.
More findings from the survey and Pew’s research methodology can be found here.
Senior Editor at Good Faith Media.
