Based on polls from Apr 2, 2026 to Oct 1, 2026. Last computed Oct 1, 2026.
Positive gap = public cares more than Congress legislates (under-addressed). Negative gap = Congress legislates more than public demands (over-addressed).
| Issue | Public | Congress | Gap | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| National Debt/Deficit | 15.8% | 1.1% | +14.7% | Significantly Under-addressed |
| War | 1.8% | 14.1% | -12.3% | Significantly Over-addressed |
| Unifying the country | 1.1% | 13.4% | -12.3% | Significantly Over-addressed |
| National Security | 1.1% | 14.1% | -13.0% | Significantly Over-addressed |
| Social Issues | 13.8% | 3.4% | +10.4% | Significantly Under-addressed |
| Social Security/Medicare | 1.4% | 12.7% | -11.3% | Significantly Over-addressed |
| Inflation/Cost of Living | 10.2% | 1.1% | +9.1% | Under-addressed |
| Ethics/Moral Decline | 0.8% | 9.9% | -9.1% | Over-addressed |
| International Issues | 0.3% | 8.3% | -8.0% | Over-addressed |
| Foreign Policy | 0.3% | 8.3% | -8.0% | Over-addressed |
| Judicial System | 0.8% | 7.1% | -6.3% | Over-addressed |
| Environment/Climate | 0.4% | 5.4% | -5.0% | Over-addressed |
| Crime/Violence | 0.7% | 5.7% | -5.0% | Over-addressed |
| Government/Leadership | 8.6% | 13.4% | -4.8% | Over-addressed |
| Poverty/Homelessness | 7.7% | 2.0% | +5.8% | Under-addressed |
| Economy | 3.6% | 9.2% | -5.6% | Over-addressed |
| Drugs | 14.1% | 17.6% | -3.6% | Over-addressed |
| Education | 0.6% | 4.1% | -3.6% | Over-addressed |
| Jobs/Unemployment | 6.2% | 2.2% | +4.0% | Under-addressed |
| Healthcare | 6.9% | 11.9% | -5.0% | Over-addressed |
| The Media | 0.3% | 3.2% | -2.9% | Aligned |
| Technology | 0.3% | 3.2% | -2.9% | Aligned |
| Race Relations | 0.7% | 1.1% | -0.4% | Aligned |
| Immigration | 2.4% | 3.0% | -0.7% | Aligned |
| Children’s Needs | 0.3% | 0.0% | +0.3% | Aligned |
Public priorities are averaged across verified polls and normalized to 100% (since poll respondents name multiple issues). Legislative activity is weighted by bill progress (introduced = 1, enacted = 10). The alignment score measures how closely Congress's effort distribution matches the relative importance the public assigns to each issue.
This is directional analysis, not a scientific study. See the full methodology for details on status weights, topic mappings, and limitations.
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