The news cycle runs fast. It can be hard to parse the headlines and see what really matters.
President Donald Trump’s administration hasn’t yet hit the 100-day mark, but that time has been eventful — implementing tariffs, firing (and rehiring some) federal workers, signing an executive order to eliminate the more than a century-old Department of Education and canceling billions of dollars in federal grants.
It’s been a whirlwind of activity, but how does it all align with what Americans worry about most?
Recently, the research group Gallup polled Americans on their top concerns. Worries over issues like the quality of the environment and illegal immigration have become less common. However, other worries have seen significant growth.
Here’s what Americans told Gallup is worrying them most.
1. The economy
Poll respondents who said they personally worry about this problem:
- A great deal: 60%
- A fair amount: 27%
- Only a little: 9%
- Not at all: 3%
March and April have been eventful months economically. In March, the administration announced 25% tariffs on all imported steel and aluminum, and 25% tariffs on all imported automobiles and parts, among others.
Then Trump declared April 2 “Liberation Day” and that day announced 10% universal tariffs as a baseline and reciprocal tariff rates reaching as high as nearly 50%.
China retaliated with its own tariffs against the U.S., sparking market volatility. The S&P 500 and the Dow Jones Industrial Average stock market indexes plunged on April 4, in the worst day for Wall Street since March 2020, when the COVID-19 pandemic began.
2. Health care availability and affordability
Poll respondents who said they personally worry about this problem:
- A great deal: 59%
- A fair amount: 23%
- Only a little: 10%
- Not at all: 7%
More Americans rely on the Affordable Care Act (ACA) — aka Obamacare — for health insurance coverage than ever. According to the U.S. Department of the Treasury, a record 20.8 million Americans enrolled in 2024. But Republicans are eyeing certain policies of this popular program.
Some changes the Trump administration is considering:
- Shrinking the enrollment period to a Dec. 15 deadline, a month earlier than the current period
- Removing ACA eligibility if someone in the family is eligible for employer-sponsored health insurance
- Defunding the Prevention and Public Health Fund, which provides “national investments in prevention and public health, to improve health outcomes, and to enhance health care quality”
- Revoking non-citizen eligibility for ACA coverage and Medicaid
- Revoking Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) eligibility for ACA coverage
3. Inflation
Poll respondents who said they personally worry about this problem:
- A great deal: 56%
- A fair amount: 29%
- Only a little: 10%
- Not at all: 4%
Between February 2024 and February 2025, the Consumer Price Index, one of the federal government’s measures of inflation, increased by 2.8%. The Producer Price Index, another federal measure of inflation, rose 3.2% in that same period.
Experts predict the recent tariffs will boost inflation further.
JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon said in an April 7 letter to shareholders, “The recent tariffs will likely increase inflation and are causing many to consider a greater probability of a recession. And even with the recent decline in market values, prices remain relatively high.”
The rest of the top 10
Here are the rest of America’s top areas of concern, according to the survey, most of which have become increasingly top of mind in the last year:
- Federal spending and the budget deficit: 53%
- The Social Security system: 52%
- Hunger and homelessness: 50%
- Size and power of the federal government: 48%
- The way income and wealth are distributed in the U.S.: 48%
- Crime and violence: 47%
- Quality of the environment: 43%
Social Security concerns had the biggest jump, with 43% saying in 2024 that they worry about it “a great deal” and 52% saying the same in 2025.
One Social Security change Republicans mentioned in an informal document obtained by Politico is the removal of the Federal Employees Retirement System (FERS) supplemental retirement payments (a Social Security Administration program).
These payments provide extra funding to federal workers who retire before age 62 and need assistance before they’re eligible to receive Social Security benefits. The informal Republican document says eliminating these payments would “align federal retirement policies more closely with the private sector and encourage longer service” and save the government between $5 billion and $13 billion over 10 years.
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