Big problems

Jobs, bad government and the economy were the three most common answers given by Americans when asked for the nation’s top problems, according to a May 19 Gallup poll. Unemployment was the most common answer, with 20 percent, up from 14 percent the previous month. Government dysfunction also ranked high with 19 percent, having peaked at 33 percent during last year’s government shutdown. The economy in general was named as a top concern by 17 percent of those polled. Those who responded that the environment was the biggest issue climbed to 3 percent from 1 percent the previous month, mirroring the numbers of those who named race relations as the nation’s primary problem. Other responses included poor health care (17 percent) and poverty/ hunger/ homelessness (4 percent).