Americans are exceptionally anxious about their political system, new Gallup polling shows

Americans Show Unprecedented Anxiety About Political System, New Global Poll Finds

Americans are exceptionally anxious about their political system, according to new international polling data from Gallup, positioning the United States as an outlier among wealthy nations.

About one-third of Americans identified politics and government as the top issue facing the nation, a level matched only by Taiwan—which faces the threat of invasion from China—and comparable to concerns in Slovenia, Spain, and South Korea.

“It’s really unique in that regard,” said Benedict Vigers of Gallup, referring to America’s position in the survey conducted from March to October 2025 across 107 countries.

This political anxiety comes after decades of partisan polarization that culminated in Donald Trump’s presidency, the January 6, 2021 Capitol attack, the largely unsuccessful attempts to prosecute Trump during Joe Biden’s administration, and Trump’s return to office, which has raised fresh questions about the country’s political and constitutional guardrails.

The United States also stands apart in how its younger residents worry about economic issues. Young Americans are more likely than their counterparts in many other surveyed countries to cite affordability and other financial concerns as their primary worry.

A clear generational divide emerges in the data. About one-third of Americans under 35 cited economics and affordability as their top concern, compared to only 13% of those 55 and older. Meanwhile, approximately 40% of Americans 35 and older ranked politics and government as the nation’s most important problem, compared to just 20% of younger Americans.

This heightened concern about economic issues among young people mirrors trends in other wealthy nations facing housing affordability crises, including Australia, Canada, Ireland, the United Kingdom, and New Zealand. The survey revealed that even residents of some wealthier countries worry about affordability at similar rates as those in certain African nations. For instance, 57% of adults in Ireland cite economics or affordability as a top issue, comparable to rates in Nigeria, Zambia, Egypt, and Albania.

“It’s a literally concrete example of young people being locked out of economic progress,” Vigers explained, referring particularly to the housing affordability challenges that have become acute throughout much of the English-speaking world.

Interestingly, other wealthy countries like France and Germany did not register similar affordability concerns or generational gaps in their polling results.

Gallup’s tracking data shows that American concerns about politics and government have gradually increased since 2000. Since 2016, these concerns have consistently ranked at or above levels seen during major national scandals like Watergate.

“It’s all mixed up with polarization,” said Gallup’s Frank Newport, noting that political concerns typically rise among whichever major party is out of power.

The survey also revealed a stark divide in the United States between those who trust institutions and those who don’t. Among Americans who express distrust toward national government, the judicial system, and election integrity, 41% listed politics and government as the top issue. By comparison, only 21% of those who trust these institutions ranked politics as their primary concern.

Brendan Nyhan, a Dartmouth political scientist, warns that this combination of economic and political anxiety creates a dangerous dynamic.

“A world where people aren’t optimistic about their economic futures is one in which they’re willing to destabilize institutions even further,” Nyhan said. “Having a stable society and rule of law without social trust is really difficult. Low trust is corrosive. Under conditions of high polarization, it makes it exceptionally difficult to accept losing an election and accept the other party being in power.”

The Gallup World poll, conducted among people aged 15 and older across 107 countries, carries a margin of sampling error ranging from plus or minus 2.4 to 4.7 percentage points.