by Bronson Winslow
Americans listed the federal government as the top problem facing the country for the seventh year in a row, according to a new poll.
Of over 1,000 respondents, 19% mentioned the government as the top problem with the country, saying they are dissatisfied with “some aspect” of the government, according to a Gallup poll released Tuesday. The government was ranked as more of a problem than inflation and the economy in general, with 16% dissatisfied with inflation and 12% dissatisfied with the economy in general.
“Dissatisfaction with the government did not emerge in recent history as one of the top issues facing the nation until 2012. Since 2013 — when the government shutdown caused mentions of the government to surge — it has been the first or second most-cited issue each year,” according to the poll.
American satisfaction with the way things are going in the U.S. is currently at an all time low since 2011, dropping by 9% in 2022 from 27% to 18%, according to the poll. In 2011, American satisfaction was at 17%, and it is only the fourth time since 1979 that the satisfaction rate has dropped below 20%.
For the seventh year in the past decade, Americans name dissatisfaction with the government as the nation’s top problem in 2022. https://t.co/L5H6jOeXjV
— GallupNews (@GallupNews) December 13, 2022
Between 2008 and 2012, during the Great Recession, the economy was named as the top problem for Americans, directly above unemployment, according to the poll. Between 2004 and 2007, the Iraq War was the most important problem for Americans.
“Dissatisfaction with the government continues to exceed all other single issues as the most pressing in the U.S. in 2022. While the COVID-19 pandemic has improved throughout the year, inflation has worsened and heightened Americans’ concerns,” Gallup wrote. “The nation’s sharply divided political landscape and the troubled economy no doubt have affected the public’s satisfaction with the direction of the country.”
Inflation had not been listed as a top four problem for Americans in the past two decades, but current inflation levels that have reached the highest point since the 1980s has brought the issue to the forefront, according to the poll.
The poll sampled 1,020 adults between Nov. 9 and Dec. 2, and has a margin of error of 4%.
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Bronson Winslow is a reporter at Daily Caller News Foundation.
Photo “United States Capitol” by Praneeth Koduru.
