With the first U.S. presidential debate coming up soon, the economy leads the long list of top concerns for Americans, found a Gallup poll released Friday.
Economy continues to lead the list at 14 percent, followed by dissatisfaction with government, at 11 percent, and jobs and unemployment, also at 11 percent, the Sept. 7-11 Gallup poll found.
There are a number of other major problems cited by Americans, including the election (8percent), race relations (7 percent), immigration (6 percent), terrorism (5 percent), and national security (5 percent), the poll found.
These will likely be among the most pressing issues atop Americans' minds as they watch the two candidates, Democratic Party's Hillary Clinton and her Republican rival Donald Trump, debate for the first time on Sept. 26.
Indeed, this year's presidential election comes at a time when a large chunk of Americans are dissatisfied with the economy. While the official jobless rate has lowered, economists say the figure hides a number of issues and does not show a full bill of health for the U.S.economy.
Economic problems have been particularly severe among the nation's blue collar workers -- the bulk of Trump's supporters -- with many families struggling to get by.
The percentage of Americans who name the election or election reform as the greatest U.S.problem has been rising while the presidential campaign dominates political news coverage.
In recent election years, a smaller percentage of Americans, typically 1 percent to 2 percent, mentioned the election as the top problem for the U.S.
But the issue has gained prominence over the past year, likely because of the controversiessurrounding Clinton and Trump, who are both highly unpopular.
As the economy, dissatisfaction with government and unemployment are regarded by Americans as their top concerns, they are likely to be the major discussion points in the upcoming presidential debates.
Americans continue to cite the economy and dissatisfaction with government of the United States as the most important problems facing their country, according to new poll.
The monthly Gallup survey conducted September 7-11, shows that 14 percent of respondents list the US economy as the biggest challenge confronted by the nation.
Dissatisfaction with the government retains the second-place spot, with 11 percent of Americans naming it as the leading source of concern.
Several other issues register a notable level of concern, including unemployment at 11 percent and election reform at 8 percent.
Other top concerns for the US include race relations (7%), immigration (6%), terrorism (5%), national security (5%) and national morals and ethics (5%).
The percentage of Americans who name elections or election reform as the greatest US problem has been rising, likely because of the controversies surrounding the two highly unpopular major-party nominees.
Polls taken in the past several months have shown that US presidential nominees Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton were ranked among the most unpopular presidential candidates in America’s history.
In the Gallup poll, 7 percent of Americans name racial issues -- including racism and race relations -- as America's top problem.
Americans' mentions of racism and race relations as the most important problem facing the country has increased amid protests over high-profile incidents of police brutality toward blacks.
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