Immigration is now at the top of the list of the most important problems faced by the US, according to Americans surveyed in a new monthly poll, beating the government to the top spot for the first time since January 2017.
In June, 14% of Americans viewed immigration as the nation’s biggest problem, but in the July Gallup poll, the figure rose to 22%, the highest percentage on the issue since the question began being asked – the previous high sat at 19%. The average level of importance given to immigration during the 17 years Gallup has asked the question every month was 5% and has now exceeded that as a consequence of news coverage, real-world events, and political attention.
Immigration, as the biggest problem faced by the US, hit 19% back in April 2006 when Congress was attempting to pass a comprehensive immigration bill, and the news was dominated by coverage of immigration protests in numerous cities. The summer of 2014 also saw immigration mentioned more as the biggest nationwide problem, when large numbers of Central American immigrants attempted to cross the border into the US.
Those concerns have repeatedly spiked over the last two years, reflecting the focus on and controversial policies dealing with the issue from the Trump administration. 35% of Republicans see immigration as the nation’s biggest problem, rising from 21% in June, as do 18% of Democrats, increasing from 10%.