What Are the Most Controversial Issues?

From animal rights and civil rights to racism, homelessness, poverty, climate change and gun violence, issues are controversial topics that directly affect the lives of people in our society. While some of these issues are global in scope, other are more localized and primarily impact the United States. Many of these issues also require the United Nations, along with other specialized agencies, to address.

A health issue is something that can have a negative impact on someone’s life, whether it’s physical or mental. It could be something small, like being tired all the time, or it could be a major illness, such as cancer. Some health issues can be treated, while others cannot.

Other social issues include domestic and sexual violence, which has lasting effects on victims and families alike, and on the community as a whole. Exploitation is another social issue that causes suffering for many people around the world. It can be something as small as someone selling a product without paying taxes or as large as human trafficking and slavery.

Wide partisan gaps exist when it comes to the public’s views on how serious these problems are. For example, Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents are more likely than Republicans to say that drug addiction is a very big problem, while smaller shares of both groups see the federal budget deficit or terrorism as very big problems. Moreover, older adults are more likely than younger adults to view these issues as very big problems.