Americans name dissatisfaction with government as top problem

Americans list their dissatisfaction with the government and political leadership as the top problem in the country, according to a new Gallup poll.

The April 5-9 poll found that 21 per cent of Americans think dissatisfaction with government/poor leadership is the most important problem facing the country, Xinhua news agency reported on Saturday.

It was followed by healthcare at 9 per cent, immigration at 8 per cent, and economy also at 8 per cent, in the list of top concerns by Americans.

The current level of dissatisfaction with the government is the highest since October 2013 to January 2014, after the partial government shutdown that October.

The only other period when a higher percentage of Americans cited government as the most important problem was in 1973 and 1974 during the Watergate crisis, according to Gallup.

Perhaps reflecting Americans' dissatisfaction with government, overall satisfaction with the way things are going in the United States remains low, at 32 per cent, Gallup said.

Since 2005, Americans' satisfaction with the government has often not been higher than 36 per cent, Gallup noted.

Americans' satisfaction with the government now is about triple what it was at its lowest point in recent years, 11 per cent in September 2011.

The low level of Americans' satisfaction with the government and poor leadership can be attributed to many Americans saying that President Donald Trump is the source of the problem, Gallup said.

"Americans generally do not believe the government is as severe a problem as it was during the government shutdown of 2013-2014, but belief that it is the most important problem is on the rise," Gallup said.

--IANS

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