Apr 4, 2026
In 2025, pollsters at Gallup surveyed people from across the world to uncover what they think is the most important problem their country is facing today (1).
By far, the most concern shared by much of the world is the domestic economy. Roughly 23% of adults across 107 countries said economic anxiety, driven by unaffordable housing, rampant inflation and a lack of well-paying jobs, was their most pressing issue. These economic concerns ranked first globally, ahead of issues like healthcare, crime and national security.
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However, eight countries, including the United States, had a different top concern: politics. About one in three Americans cited the government or the national political climate as their biggest issue, overshadowing economic concerns.
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Why does this matter? Well, political instability and unpredictable economic policies are not just headlines, but real impacts on your wallet. Here’s how the chaos from Washington, D.C. can influence your personal finances.
Real financial consequences
For everyday Americans, political concerns may have overtaken economic concerns because the former is driving the latter. Many voters see government decisions as directly shaping inflation, jobs and market stability.
President Donald Trump’s volatile economic policies have already rippled through capital markets and household budgets. The administration’s tariffs were estimated to cost ordinary families an average of $1,700, according to an estimate by Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker (2).
California Governor Gavin Newsom, who referenced a similar estimate, criticized the tariff policy and demanded a refund (3).
The tariffs and trade war have also raised the prospect of a "widespread collapse of American agriculture," according to an open letter signed by 27 former US officials (4). A prolonged downturn in the agricultural sector could potentially impact grocery prices across the country. Farm exports are particularly sensitive to retaliatory tariffs from trading partners.
Besides raising costs, Trump’s policies have also reduced jobs (particularly in manufacturing) and stagnated wages, according to analysis by the Center for American Progress (CAP) (5). “President Trump talks a good game for workers, but the results from his first year back in office have been quite poor,” the report states bluntly.
Investors are responding to this economic uncertainty by reallocating assets and, at times, seeking traditional safe havens such as gold, according to JPMorgan Chase. This shift in capital flows has coincided with periods of weakness in the U.S. dollar against a basket of foreign currencies (6).
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The weaker currency can reduce Americans’ purchasing power abroad and may contribute to higher prices for imported goods, particularly when combined with tariffs.
With government policy at the root of much of this economic distress, Americans are increasingly holding Trump accountable — his economic disapproval rating recently climbed to 59% in a recent NPR/PBS News/Marist Poll (7).
In short, many Americans rank politics as their top worry precisely because of how deeply it shapes the economy.
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What can you do?
While government policy is beyond your control, you could insulate your finances by focusing on what you can control.
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Supplementary income, for instance, could bolster your finances despite the lack of well-paying jobs and wage growth. Nearly 45% of U.S. adults have a side gig, according to a Self Financial survey, and the average hustler makes roughly $688 per month (8). The top 10% make more than $1,000 a month from side gigs.
In other words, a profitable side venture could be the game changer you need. The added income could either help you bolster your emergency fund, invest toward your retirement, or blunt the impact of higher costs of essentials.
As for inflation and tariffs, it makes sense to add a safety buffer to your household budget. It’s impossible to predict what food prices and utility bills could look like by the end of the year. But if you add a 10% to 15% buffer to your spending plans, you can absorb any shock without derailing your finances completely.
Simply put, politics could be intensifying economic headwinds for many ordinary families. But by bolstering your income and tightening up your budget, you could put your personal finances in a much stronger place despite the challenges.
Article sources
We rely only on vetted sources and credible third-party reporting. For details, see our editorial ethics and guidelines.
Gallup (1); Threads (2); X (3); AgWired (4); Center for American Progress (CAP) (5); J.P. Morgan (6); NPR (7); Self Financial (8)
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Vishesh Raisinghani is a financial journalist covering personal finance, investing and the global economy. He's also the founder of Sharpe Ascension Inc., a content marketing agency focused on investment firms. His work has appeared in Moneywise, Yahoo Finance!, Motley Fool, Seeking Alpha, Mergers & Acquisitions Magazine and Piggybank.
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