The 10 Social Issues Americans Talk the Most About on Twitter

1. Better Job Opportunities
   With the economy still recovering from the Great Recession, it’s no surprise that Americans are tweeting up a storm about finding employment or moving up the career ladder. The abundance of tweets—6,838,071 of them, featuring words like unemployed and hiring—landed the subject of better job opportunities at the very top.

(Photo: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

1. Freedom From Discrimination
   Can’t we all just get along? A staggering 6,449,822 tweets about issues related to freedom from discrimination put this issue in the No. 2 spot. Twitter users discuss everything from eliminating racism and discrimination against Muslims to marriage equality and LGBT rights.

2. A Good Education
   Whether it’s tweeting about student loan debt or thanking teachers, education is a hot topic on Twitter. Americans care deeply about getting a good one. An astounding 5,093,484 tweets make it the third-most-popular issue on the social media platform.

3. An Honest and Responsive Government
   Forget that tired red state–versus–blue-state narrative. Americans just want a government that works. A full 2,826,891 tweets about an honest and responsible government put this issue in the fourth spot, showing that we aren’t as caught up in partisan politics as you might think.

4. Political Freedoms
   America’s the greatest nation in the world—as long as we uphold our democratic values. An astonishing 2,809,219 tweets about civil rights, freedom of the press, and free speech put the issue of political freedoms in fifth place.

5. Action Taken on Climate Change
   Sorry, climate change deniers, with 2,431,326 tweets about the issue, it’s clear that Americans know there’s a problem with our environment. Users of the platform are eager to discuss pollution, conservation, and clean energy, which puts the issue in sixth place.

6. Protecting Forests, Rivers, and Oceans
   Good news: Americans really do care about the planet. A remarkable 2,352,180 tweets about saving the world’s trees from illegal logging and protecting our oceans from toxic plastic pollution make protecting forests and rivers the seventh-most-talked-about issue on Twitter.

7. Equality Between Men and Women
   Three cheers for #YesAllWomen! Tweets with key words like gender and violence reveal that equality between men and women is on the minds of many Americans. An inspiring 1,936,516 tweets put this subject in eighth place.

8. Reliable Energy at Home
   When the power goes out, Twitter lights up. Everyone wants to know when the electricity is going to be back on. But Americans are also tweeting about green sources of energy, such as wind and solar power. With 1,717,863 tweets, reliable energy at home is the ninth-most-discussed issue on the social media platform.

9. Better Transportation and Roads
   Have you ever tweeted about all the potholes on your morning commute, being stuck in a horrible traffic jam, or subway delays? Plenty of Americans have. With 1,395,907 tweets, the subject of better transportation and roads is the 10th-most-talked-about issue on Twitter.