New Poll Has a Few Messages for Obama's 2014 Agenda

President Barack Obama has pledged to make 2014 a “year of action” by the federal government, and has also vowed to devote the rest of his presidency – and make the theme of his upcoming State of the Union – about combatting income inequality.

US President Barack Obama boards Air Force One on January 15, 2014 at Andrews Air Force Base in Maryland. Obama is headed to Raleigh, North Carolina to speak on the economy. AFP PHOTO/Mandel NGAN MANDEL NGAN/AFP/Getty Images

But more than five times as many Americans believe government is a bigger problem than the gap between rich and poor – 21 percent compared to 4 percent.

After the troubled implementation of the Obamacare law, four times as many people view health care as the nation's biggest problem compared to a year ago. However, concerns over the deficit seem to have dropped significantly among the public.

Thus, a new Gallup poll isn't the best news for the administration. Americans find government to be the biggest problem facing America, while very few are concerned about the disparity between rich and poor.

“The government, at 21 percent, leads the list of what Americans consider the most important problem facing the country,” the Gallup poll said. “The economy closely follows at 18 percent, and then unemployment/jobs and healthcare, each at 16 percent.”

In the aftermath of the Obamacare debacle, poor health care ties unemployment at 16 percent, that's up from 4 percent in January 2013.

The federal deficit garnered 8 percent, down from 20 percent in January 2013.

The poll found 5 percent believed a decline in ethics and morality was the biggest problem.

Meanwhile, four percent believe the disparity between rich and poor is the biggest problem facing the country. The same percentage said poor education/lack of access to education and poverty/homelessness were the biggest problems.

The survey released Wednesday was conducted Jan. 5-8 among 1,018 adults across the country.

Gallup compared the results to what Americans viewed as the biggest problems in January 2013.

“Compared with a year ago, mentions of government are up slightly,” the poll said. “Mentions of healthcare, on the other hand, have quadrupled – from 4 percent in January 2013 to 16 percent today, likely related to highly visible problems with the rollout of the 2010 healthcare law. At the same time, references to the federal deficit or debt have declined from 20 percent to 8 percent, while mentions of the economy in general have dipped from 21 percent to 18 percent, and mentions of unemployment/jobs are the same, at 16 percent.”

Among the lowest concerns, foreign aid and immigration each tied for 3 percent. Lack of respect for each other tied with welfare at 2 percent.

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