Social Issues of the United States

The United States is a country of great diversity, but it also faces several social issues that challenge its citizens. These issues include poverty, inequality, crime, and discrimination. There are many social issues in the United States, with over 329 million people living in its 50 states. The American political system and culture are also very powerful on a worldwide scale, so what happens there affects people all around the world.

In this article, we will look into the list of social issues in the United States. Let’s start.

List of Social Issues in the United States

Social Issue	Summary
Student Debt	Young people have to deal with high amounts of student debt, which has an impact on financial stability and mobility.
Wage Inequality	The wage gap by gender, race, and ethnicity remains, adding to overall income inequality.
Healthcare	Access to affordable healthcare remains a major concern, with discussions about universal coverage continuing.
Housing	There is a lack of affordable housing in many locations, which leads to homelessness and instability.
Voting Rights	There are ongoing arguments and legal disputes regarding anti-voter measures, access to voting sites, and voter ID laws.
Reproductive Rights	Debates about abortion access, birth control availability, and reproductive healthcare finance.
Book Banning	Attempts to restrict particular books in classrooms led to disputes over censorship and educational freedom.
LGBTQ+ Rights	Legal recognition and rights have improved, but there are still issues such as discrimination and hate crimes to deal with.
Climate Justice	Calls for an equal response to climate change, accepting its extreme effect on those in need.
Racism	Ongoing racist behavior is harming many parts of society, including policing, education, and employment.

1. Student Debt

Forbes published shocking data about student loan debt in the United States in 2022. The data on this social issue in the United States was as:

• The overall student debt is $1.75 trillion, which includes both government and private loans.

• Borrowers owe an average of about $29,000.

• Government student loans account for approximately 92% of all current student debt.

• This is important since the growth rate of student loan debt is 353.8% faster than the rate of tuition increase.

• Government relief measures are lacking. In 2020, collective student debt increased by more than 8%.

Many people are unable to make their loan payments. When borrowers go behind, their credit score suffers, making various types of debt relief impossible to achieve. Without extra lines of credit, people continue to get into debt. Why is this happening? Rising tuition expenses are a definite factor.

However, cuts in state financing for higher education financing and stagnant wages are also to blame. Debt cancellations would have a significant right away, but education expenses, cuts, and wages must also be handled.

2. Wage Inequality

Wage inequality is a severe social issue in the United States. According to an Economic Policy Institute report:

• Incomes for the top one percent increased by 179.3% between 1979 and 2020. The richest 0.1% experienced much more growth: 389.1%. 

• Wages for the poorest 90% increased by just 28.2%. Inequality has been increasing.

• In 2020, the bottom 90% received 60.2% of total salaries, the lowest percentage since data collection began in 1937.

• In 2021, the top 10% of Americans possessed 70% of all U.S. wealth. The gap between CEO salary and that of average workers reveals a severe imbalance.

• Between 1978 and 2018, CEO pay climbed by more than 900%, while the average worker experienced an increase of only 11.9%.
• The old saying “the rich keep getting rich” holds true in the United States.

3. Healthcare

The United States still lacks a functional and affordable healthcare system. According to a KFF review of official data, around one in every ten persons has medical debt.

• Three million people owe more than $10,000.
• Black people, people with disabilities, and those in poor health are more likely to have large medical debt.

Americans together owe hundreds of billions of dollars. COVID-19 also revealed many weaknesses in the healthcare system.

• According to a 2021 article, the epidemic caused current problems such as challenges to healthcare access, price and cost inequality, public health rejection, and quality difficulties.
• The United States’ system was just not prepared to handle the pandemic effectively.

To deal with this social issue in the United States, future pandemics and the overall health and welfare of those within its borders, the United States’ healthcare system requires a fresh start.

4. Housing

In most parts of the United States, affordable housing is quite difficult to find and it has become a major social issue in the United States. According to Pew Research:

• 49% of Americans believe finding affordable housing in their town will be a “major problem” in 2021.

• This is a 10 percentage point rise from early 2019. Wage growth is closely linked to housing worries.

According to a 2021 analysis by the National Low Income Housing Coalition, no worker in any state could afford a two-bedroom rental home on a regular 40-hour work week. To afford a one-bedroom rental in New York, people would have to work 94 hours per week at the state’s minimum salary of $12.50. In California, the minimum wage is $14.00/hour, which gives you a one-bedroom rental after 89 hours of work.

5. Voting Rights

The attack on voting rights is certainly the most important social issue in the United States because of the impact it has on everything.

• The Brennan Center For Justice studies restrictions, and between January 1 and December 7, 2021, 19 states approved 34 measures limiting voting rights.
• Republicans have never opposed stronger voting regulations, but in the months following the Big Lie that Joe Biden stole the nomination for president, they’ve stepped up their attacks.
• The Center continued to monitor laws, determining that as of May 4, 2022, at least 34 proposals with restricted provisions were progressing through 11 state legislatures.
• Throughout the 2022 legislative session, 39 states will consider nearly 400 restrictive voting laws.

These restrictions not only restrict voter access, but also promote myths about election integrity and weaken voter trust in the results.

6. Reproductive Rights

After decades of work by conservative lawmakers and activists, the Supreme Court is ready to overturn Roe v. Wade, the case that established abortion as a constitutional right. The claim was quickly confirmed as real, causing protests and fury.

• When the official decision is issued, reproductive rights in the United States will be greatly compromised.
• 13 states already have “trigger” laws in place, which suggests that if Roe is overturned, abortion will become illegal with few to no exceptions.
• States have already restricted abortion rights in novel ways, such as enforcing restrictions through legal proceedings rather than criminal punishment.
• Oklahoma just passed the country’s most severe abortion ban, including a provision that makes conducting an abortion a criminal, punishable by up to decade in prison, with no exceptions for rape.

7. Book Banning in Schools

Another social issue in the United States is banning books in schools. In recent months, education advocates, librarians, teachers, and others have watched with concern as book bans spread across the country.

• PEN America gathered almost 1,500 examples of individual books being banned over the course of nine months for its first formal count of banned books.

• Bans have been put in 26 states and 86 school districts. This represents nearly 3,000 schools that serve over 2 million kids.

• Books have always been contested in school libraries, but 41% of the bans reported in PEN’s Index had connections to state officials or elected lawmakers.

PEN refers to this as an “unusual shift.” The books questioned primarily deal with sexual education, LGBTQ+ identities, and the teaching of race and racism. Conservative organizations such as Moms for Liberty frequently refer to “parental rights” to justify book restrictions.

8. LGBTQ+ Rights

LGBTQ+ rights has become a social issue in the United States. In 2022, anger directed toward the LGBTQ+ community and those who support them increased. Conservative media commentators and politicians alike have been using the term “groomer,” an old attack accusing gay and transgender individuals of preying on and “recruiting” youngsters.

• Tucker Carlson, who broadcasts the country’s most popular cable news show, has similarly accused teachers of “grooming” pupils when they discuss gender and sexual identities.
• Attacks have spread beyond speech and into the rules and regulations.
• This degree of hatred is quite disturbing and indicates a decline for LGBTQ+ rights.

9. Climate Justice

Scientists and organizations have been warning about climate change for decades, yet little action has been taken. Climate change has become a concerning social issue in the United States. The United States is beginning to feel the severe effects of climate change.

• Three serious winter storms swept across the United States in 2021, resulting in the greatest energy infrastructure failure in Texas history.
• There was a lack of energy, water, and food. In a final study, the Department of State Health Services identified 246 deaths, however the figure could be higher.
• According to one study, warming in the North Pole caused by climate change could be to blame for the storms, as warming causes polar cyclone outbreaks.
• Warm air weakens polar vortexes, which expand and travel south, resulting in storms like those observed in Texas.

10. Racism

Racism has been a social issue in the United States for centuries. In the summer of 2020, the country saw its largest civil rights protest movement since the 1960s. Not surprisingly, there has been an objection against the progress desired by anti-racist activists.

• Book bans, as previously noted, are a typical form of attack, as they target children’s education and understanding of race and racism in the United States.
• Racism can also show as obvious violence. In May, an 18-year-old murdered ten people in an intentional assault on Black people.
• His “manifesto” described his motivations, which included the Great Replacement Theory, a belief that White people are being replaced.

Conclusion

The social issues in the United States are many and complicated, including everything from racial inequality and economic inequities to healthcare access and climate change. Solving these difficulties requires broad strategies and working together from policymakers, communities, and individuals to promote diversity, equity, and sustainability for all citizens.

FAQs on Social Issues of the United States

What are 3 social problems in society?

Poverty, unemployment, unequal opportunity, racism, and malnutrition are examples of social problems.

How social issues affect society?

These social problems not only impact individuals but also create disruption or hardship for large numbers of people.

What are the four stages of social problems?

Emergence and claims making, legitimacy, renewed claims making, and alternative strategies.

What are four main types of global issues?

There are four main types of global issues which affects us all such as social, political, environmental, and economic issues.

Why is global warming considered to be bad?

Global warning is bad for the environmental because it gave rise in the sea level, cause damage to the coastal regions, increased concerns of droughts and floods, etc.