Americans increasingly worried about economy as election looms: poll

Americans have expressed increasing concern with the economy in recent months, with the issue being outpaced only by immigration as their top concern.

Seventeen percent of Americans rated the economy as the top problem facing the country, according to a Gallup poll released Monday.

The concern over the economy has steadily risen over the last few months, rising from 12% in January and February to 14% in March before hitting its new recent high in April, the poll found. 

The poll trend comes just months before November’s presidential election, a contest where the issue figures to play in outsize role in determining who emerges as the winner of the rematch between President Biden and former President Donald Trump.

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President Biden (Yuri Gripas/Abaca/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

President Biden has in recent months touted an economic comeback in recent months, pointing to low unemployment and faster than expected GDP growth.

But concerns among Americans remain, with the Gallup poll coming on the heels of a CBS/YouGov poll last that showed voters in key battleground states such as Michigan, Wisconsin, and Pennsylvania rating the issue as their top concern.

According to Gallup, when combined with inflation and other factors, 36% of Americans see the economy as their top concern.

Meanwhile, immigration remains the most important individual problem facing the U.S. despite recent drops in illegal border crossings, the poll found.

Twenty-seven percent of Americans rated immigration as the number one issue facing the country, the third consecutive month the issue has topped the list of concerns.

The poll comes even as the number of crossings at the southern border with Mexico have continued to decline in recent months, falling from an all-time high in December, when border agents encountered over 300,000 migrants attempting to cross the border. That number fell to just over 193,000 in March and continued to decline in April, with border agents encountering about 130,000 migrants attempting to enter the country.

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Persistent inflation is one factor weighing on Americans concerned about the state of the economy. (istock)

Speaking to Fox News Digital Tuesday, a White House spokesperson credited a joint effort with Mexico and enhanced U.S. enforcement efforts for turning the tide in the crisis, though many Americans remain unconvinced the issue isn’t a major problem.

According to Gallup, immigration has topped its survey for most important issue four previous times since 2000, but 2024’s stretch of three months is the first time it has remained at the top for successive months. 

A group of over 100 migrants attempts to enter the U.S. illegally by rushing a border wall March 21, 2024. (James Breeden for New York Post/Mega)

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But the issue is also polarizing, Gallup notes, with Republicans being far more likely to rate immigration as the top issue than Democrats. In the latest version of the poll, 48% of Republicans rated immigration as the top issue facing the country, while just 8% of Democrats felt the same way. Meanwhile, 25% of independents rated the issue as their top concern.

Other issues at the top of mind for many Americans include the government, with 20% of respondents rating it as the top problem in the country. 

President Biden has recently touted the decline in illegal border crossings. (Getty Images)

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Gallup surveyed a sample of 1,001 adults living in all 50 U.S. states and the District of Columbia between April 1-22, with a margin of sampling error at plus or minus four percentage points.