Americans named government the biggest problem in the country in 2014, the first time since 2007 that the economy wasn't identified as the chief concern, according to Gallup.
It's the first time ever that dissatisfaction with government has topped Gallup's annual roundup of top issues facing the U.S.
Complaints about government leadership, including President Barack Obama and Republicans in Congress, were named by 18 percent of American adults in Gallup’s year-end average, closely followed by the economy at 17 percent. Concern over unemployment or jobs came in at 15 percent for the year, while health care was at 10 percent. No other issues broke 10 percent for the annual average.
President Barack Obama meets with House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio), Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) at the White House, Nov. 7, 2014. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
Gallup in its release said this is the first year since 2001 in which no issue gained more than a 20 percent average.
“With unemployment and gas prices falling, the U.S. not being involved in any major wars and scaling back operations in Afghanistan, and no acts of domestic terrorism occurring, the factors that have caused Americans to converge on a single pressing concern in the past simply weren't present in 2014,” Gallup said. “Rather, as mentions of the economy and unemployment have dwindled since 2012, mentions of health care and government leadership have grown to join them, forming a set of comparably sized, moderate-level concerns that now define the public's view of what ails the nation.”
The only other issues that got more than 5 percent were immigration (8 percent) and the federal budget deficit (6 percent).
Taken as an average of the entire year, just 3 percent named race relations as the top concern, but that percentage rose to 13 percent for the month of December, following unrest in Ferguson, Missouri and New York City after police altercations resulted in the deaths of unarmed black men.
While immigration ranked low for the yearly average, 17 percent of Gallup respondents in July viewed it as the top concern because thousands of illegal unaccompanied minors were coming across the border.
