Top Issues and Importance (U.S., 2026)

Issue	Key Elements
Cost of Living	Prices, Wages, Affordability
Health Care	Costs, Coverage, Access
Housing	Rent, Mortgages, Supply
Immigration	Mass Deportation, Border Restrictions, Termination of Protections
Government Spending	Efficiency, Waste, Priorities
National Debt / Deficit	Spending, Taxes, Fees, Debt Service
Democracy	Checks & Balances, Voting, Rule of Law
Education	K-12 Quality, Workforce Readiness, Costs
Technology and AI	Jobs, Privacy, Disinformation
National Security	Terrorism, Cyber, Defense Readiness
Foreign Policy	Alliances, China/Russia, Wars
Energy	Reliability, Gas/Electric Bills, Grid
Environment and Climate	Disasters, Health, Resilience
Social Issues	Abortion, Guns, Rights, Policing

What You Can Do

Next: Health Care.

Cost of Living: Affordability is the top "government priority" bucket in major polling and cuts across party lines.

Health Care: Health care costs are among Americans' top "very concerned" items and a rising priority going into 2026.

Housing: Housing costs are a top "very concerned" affordability pressure and frequently named alongside health care and food costs.

Immigration: Immigration is consistently cited as a top government priority in 2026 polling.

Government Spending: Budget choices shape what gets funded (health, housing, schools) and what gets cut; and it's a major area of public pessimism.

National Debt / Deficit: Deficit and debt concerns are prominent in public outlook polling - and interest costs squeeze everything else.

Democracy: Large majorities say democracy is under serious threat-people may disagree on why, but the alarm is widespread.

Education: Moderate-Satisfaction with U.S. K-12 education is at a record low in recent Gallup reporting - families feel the strain.

Technology and AI: Americans widely view false information online as a major national threat, and AI accelerates that problem fast.

National Security: "Threat" perceptions remain significant, and the public often ties security to cyber and misinformation risks.

Foreign Policy: Americans name major-power threats and allies in consistent patterns; foreign shocks can hit prices and security quickly.

Energy: Energy costs are a direct household affordability issue and a major lever for resilience (grid, storms, supply shocks).

Environment and Climate: Climate impacts are widely recognized (with big partisan gaps), and disasters drive insurance and infrastructure costs.

Social Issues: National "top priority" mentions can swing year-to-year, but these issues can dominate specific states/districts and primaries.

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