Economy and foreign conflicts now public’s top two issue concerns
Washington, D.C., March 24, 2026 – A new Reuters/Ipsos poll, conducted March 20-23, finds Americans now view the economy and foreign conflicts and war as the top two problems facing the country today.
As U.S. strikes in Iran continue, 14% of Americans say war and foreign conflicts are the top problem facing the country, up from 1% who said this in February. Four weeks into the conflict, more Americans continue to say they disapprove than approve of U.S. military strikes against Iran (61% vs. 35%). Americans remain uncertain that the conflict will improve the long-term security of the U.S.
On the economic front, 16% cite the economy, unemployment and jobs as the most important problem facing the U.S. today. Amid persistent concerns about the cost of living, just 34% of Americans say the economy is very or somewhat strong; a larger share (63%) describes it as very or somewhat weak.
President Trump’s overall job approval stands at 36%, down slightly from Ipsos polls in recent weeks where the president’s overall ratings fell between 40% and 38%. As gas prices in the U.S. have spiked, the president’s ratings of handling the cost of living remain negative: 25% approve compared with 66% who disapprove.
About the Study
This Reuters/Ipsos poll was conducted March 20 – 23, 2026, by Ipsos for Reuters using the probability-based KnowledgePanel®. This poll is based on a nationally representative probability sample of 1,272 general population adults aged 18 or older.
The study was conducted in English. The data were weighted to adjust for gender by age, race and ethnicity, census region, metropolitan status, education, household income, 2024 vote choice and political party identification. Political party identification benchmarks are from the 2025 NPORS annual survey, with a midyear adjustment estimated across aggregated KnowledgePanel surveys accounting for changes in panelists’ party identification over time. The demographic benchmarks came from the 2025 March supplement of the U.S. Census Bureau’s Current Population Survey (CPS).
- Gender (Male, Female) by Age (18–29, 30–44, 45-59 and 60+)
- Race/Hispanic Ethnicity (White Non-Hispanic, Black Non-Hispanic, Other, Non-Hispanic, Hispanic, 2+ Races, Non-Hispanic)
- Education (Less than High School, High School, Some College, Bachelor’s degree, Master’s degree or higher)
- Census Region (Northeast, Midwest, South, West)
- Metropolitan status (Metro, non-Metro)
- Household Income (Under $25,000, $25,000-$49,999, $50,000-$74,999, $75,000-$99,999, $100,000-$149,999, $150,000+)
- 2024 Vote Choice (Trump, Harris, Another candidate, Did not vote)
- Political Party ID (Democrat, Lean Democrat, Republican, Lean Republican, Independent/Something else)
The margin of sampling error is plus or minus 2.8 percentage points at the 95% confidence level, for results based on the entire sample of adults. The margin of sampling error takes into account the design effect, which was 1.04. The margin of sampling error is higher and varies for results based on sub-samples. In our reporting of the findings, percentage points are rounded off to the nearest whole number. As a result, percentages in a given table column may total slightly higher or lower than 100%. In questions that permit multiple responses, columns may total substantially more than 100%, depending on the number of different responses offered by each respondent.
For more information on this news release, please contact:
Alec Tyson
Senior Vice President, US
Public Affairs
[email protected]
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