The month after 9/11, terrorism was the most significant concern for Americans. In polling conducted by Gallup, 46% of Americans at the time said terrorism was their top concern. That year, trust in government hit a three-decade high in 2001, buoyed by President George W. Bush’s decisive response to the attacks. When the US invaded Afghanistan in October of that year, 92% of Americans supported the decision.
Fast forward 25 years, the top problems have shifted away from terrorism – less than 1% of respondents ranked it their top problem in August 2026. Instead, the economy is increasingly on voters’ minds as fuel and living costs skyrocket, driven by another US president embarking on a far less popular war in the Middle East.
But the most dramatic change has been the number of people whose concerns are related to Washington. Although trust in government spiked following 9/11, the last decade has seen the government itself rank among Americans’ top concerns. After the January 6 attacks on the US Capitol, the number of people who said the government, Congress, and politicians were their top concern spiked by 9 percentage points to 29% in January 2021. Since the beginning of 2026, when ICE agents were deployed to states like Minnesota as part of an immigration crackdown, that number has remained high, peaking at 32% in January.
Over two decades after 9/11, terrorism has largely faded from Americans’ minds. In its place, Americans are largely concerned about the economy and the US government itself – an issue that could be exacerbated by hotly contested midterm elections this November.
