While the "economy in general" and "jobs" remain a close second (with the latter rising rapidly despite a plunging - and entirely useless - unemployment rate), Americans polled by Gallup still see the number 1 problem facing the US is "dissatisfation with government; poor leadership and abuse of power." Compared with a year ago, mentions of government are up slightly; but mentions of healthcare, on the other hand, have quadrupled -- from 4% in January 2013 to 16% today!

As Gallup sums up:

The issues that concern Americans at the start of 2014, and as Obama prepares to deliver the second State of the Union address of his second term, are similar to those Gallup measured in December, and not wildly different from those last January. While the top five issues today also figured prominently in January 2013, their relative positioning has shifted in ways that could affect how Obama frames his message. Concern about unemployment, while up slightly from December, is the same as it was a year ago, and both the economy and problems with government remain top issues. At the same time, concern about healthcare is up, likely resulting from issues with the rollout of the Affordable Care Act.

What issues were at the bottom of the list? Welfare, Immigration and the Wealth Gap.



Ironically, while these issues all ranked so low that they barely made the list of concerns, there are the very issues that are the focus of the current Administration. Unfortunately, these issues are not the ones currently impeding economic progress, but they are the issues that will garner "votes" come the mid-term elections.

Source: Gallup