WHAT AMERICAN EMPLOYEES THINK
ABOUT DRUG ABUSE

Question: "In your opinion, what is the greatest problem facing the United States today?"

Figure 1

When respondents were asked to identify the single greatest problem that faced the United States, the proportion mentioning drugs was decidedly smaller in 1995 than in 1989. Only six percent of those surveyed in 1995 felt that drugs were the greatest problem which faced the U.S., a twenty-two percent decline from 1989. The portion of respondents identifying the government's budget or deficit was the only other notable decline. Less than half as many respondents (5%) said that the government budget or deficit was the biggest problem facing the United States as mentioned that issue in 1989.
The problem most frequently mentioned among respondents in the 1995 study was crime. One in ten respondents (9%) felt that crime was our country's greatest problem, followed by employment or lack of jobs (7%), the economy (6%), and drugs (6%).