Priorities

[ Home ] [ Up ] [ Priorities ] [ Abortion ] [ Budget/Taxes ] [ Coronavirus ] [ Crime ] [ Disasters ] [ Education ] [ Energy ] [ Environment ] [ Food ] [ Foreign Affairs/Defense ] [ Guns ] [ Health Policy ] [ Illegal Drugs ] [ Immigration ] [ Law ] [ LGBT ] [ Race and Ethnicity ] [ Social Security ] [ Space ] [ Transportation ]

Problems and Priorities

Follow @pollreport

ABC News/Washington Post Poll. Oct. 6-9, 2020. N=879 registered voters nationwide. Margin of error ą 3.5.

"Which of the following is the single most important issue in your choice for president: the economy, the coronavirus outbreak, crime and safety, health care, equal treatment of racial groups, or the next appointment to the U.S. Supreme Court?" Options rotated

		10/6-9/20	9/21-24/20
		%	%
	Economy	29	23
	Coronavirus	15	17
	Equal treatment	14	13
	Health care	13	14
	Supreme Court	10	13
	Crime and safety	8	13
	Other (vol.)	9	5
	Unsure	2	2

Monmouth University Poll. March 18-22, 2020. N=851 adults nationwide. Margin of error ą 3.4.

"Turning to issues closer to home, what is the biggest concern facing your family right now?" Open-ended

		%
	Coronavirus/COVID-19	57
	Job security, unemployment	7
	Everyday bills, groceries, etc.	6
	The economy	5
	Health care costs	5
	Family illness, health	3
	Climate change, environment	1
	Education policy	1
	Housing, mortgage, rent	1
	Safety, crime	1
	Taxes	1
	Trump as president	1
	Other (vol.)	2
	Unsure	9

NBC News/Wall Street Journal Poll conducted by Hart Research Associates (D) and Public Opinion Strategies (R). April 28-May 1, 2019. N=900 adults nationwide. Margin of error ą 3.3.

"Let me list some issues that have been proposed for the federal government to address. Please tell me which ONE OR TWO of these items you think should be the top priority for the federal government: Health care. Immigration and border security. Job creation and economic growth. National security and terrorism. Climate change. The deficit and government spending. Guns. Trade agreements with other countries." If only one choice: "And, which of these issues do you think should be the second highest priority for the federal government to address?"

		1st choice	2nd choice	1st + 2nd choices
		%	%	%
	Health care	24	18	42
	Immigration, border security	18	11	30
	Jobs, economic growth	14	18	32
	National security, terrorism	11	14	25
	Climate change	11	10	21
	The deficit, spending	11	12	23
	Guns	5	7	12
	Trade	2	5	7
	Other (vol.)	1	1	2
	All equally (vol.)	2	-	2
	None of these (vol.)	-	1	1
	Unsure	1	3	1

Gallup Poll. Dec. 3-12, 2018. N=1,025 adults nationwide. Margin of error ą 4.

"How important is it to you that the president and Congress deal with each of the following issues in the next year? Is it extremely important, very important, moderately important, or not that important? How about [see below]?"

		Extremely important	Very important	Moderately important	Not that important	Unsure
		%	%	%	%	%
	"Education"
	12/3-12/18	42	45	10	3	-

	"Health care policy"
	12/3-12/18	39	46	13	3	-

	"The economy"
	12/3-12/18	34	51	13	1	-

	"Gun policy"
	12/3-12/18	34	32	19	14	-

	"Social Security"
	12/3-12/18	33	47	18	2	-

	"Immigration"
	12/3-12/18	33	42	19	6	1

	"The federal budget deficit"
	12/3-12/18	32	44	18	5	1

	"Drug abuse"
	12/3-12/18	31	44	20	5	-

	"Climate change"
	12/3-12/18	31	31	19	18	1

	"The nation's infrastructure"
	12/3-12/18	27	45	25	2	2

	"U.S. trade and tariff policies"
	12/3-12/18	25	46	24	3	3

	"The distribution of income and wealth"
	12/3-12/18	25	37	19	17	3

ABC News/Washington Post Poll. Oct. 29-Nov. 1, 2018. N=1,041 registered voters nationwide. Margin of error ą 3.5.

"Now for each of those items, please tell me how important each will be in your vote for Congress this year. ... Health care / The economy / Reducing the divisions between people and groups in this country / Immigration / Taxes / Border security / Global warming. Will it be one of the single most important issues, very important, somewhat important, or less important than that?"

		One of single most/ Very important
		%
	Health care	78
	The economy	76
	Reducing divisions	69
	Immigration	67
	Taxes	66
	Border security	59
	Global warming	48

NPR/PBS NewsHour/Marist Poll. Oct. 21-23, 2018. N=738 registered voters nationwide. Margin of error ą 4.4.

"Now, let me list some issues that may factor into deciding your vote for Congress in November. Please tell me which one of these items you think will be the most important factor in deciding your vote: The economy and jobs. Health care. Immigration. Federal taxes and spending. Climate change. Guns. Foreign policy and terrorism. Abortion. Opioid addiction."

		%
	Economy, jobs	20
	Health care	17
	Immigration	17
	Taxes, spending	9
	Climate change	7
	Guns	5
	Foreign policy, terrorism	5
	Abortion	4
	Opioid addiction	3
	All equally (vol.)	11
	Other (vol.)	1
	Unsure	1

Quinnipiac University Poll. June 27-July 1, 2018. N=1,020 registered voters nationwide. Margin of error ą 3.7.

"What is the most important issue to you in deciding how to vote in this year's election for the U.S. House of Representatives: the economy, taxes, health care, immigration, or gun policy?"

		%
	Immigration	27
	Economy	23
	Health care	22
	Gun policy	13
	Taxes	9
	Something else (vol.)	3
	Unsure/No answer	4

NBC News/Wall Street Journal Poll conducted by Hart Research Associates (D) and Public Opinion Strategies (R). June 1-4, 2018. N=900 registered voters nationwide. Margin of error ą 3.3.

"Now, let me list some issues that may factor into deciding your vote for Congress in November. Please tell me which one or two of these items you think will be the most important factor in deciding your vote: Health care. The economy and jobs. Guns. Taxes and spending. Immigration. The candidates' opposition to Donald Trump. The candidates' support for Donald Trump. Foreign policy and terrorism." If only one choice: "And, which of these issues will be the second most important factor in deciding your vote?"

		1st choice	1st + 2nd choices
		%	%
	Health care	22	38
	Economy, jobs	19	37
	Guns	13	25
	Taxes, spending	11	24
	Immigration	10	23
	Opposition to Trump	7	12
	Support for Trump	7	12
	Foreign policy, terrorism	6	18
	Other (vol.)	1	3
	All equally (vol.)	1	2
	None of these (vol.)	-	2
	Unsure/No answer	3	1

CBS News Poll. May 3-6, 2018. N=974 registered voters nationwide. Margin of error ą 4.

"Which one of the following issues will be most important in deciding your vote for Congress this November: the economy, immigration, gun policy, health care, or taxes?"

		%
	Health care	27
	Economy	23
	Gun policy	21
	Immigration	13
	Taxes	11
	Something else (vol.)	2
	Unsure/No answer	2

Quinnipiac University Poll. March 16-20, 2018. N=1,291 registered voters nationwide. Margin of error ą 3.3.

"What is the most important issue to you in deciding how to vote in this year's midterm election: the economy, taxes, health care, immigration, or gun policy?"

		%
	Health care	23
	Economy	22
	Gun policy	21
	Immigration	19
	Taxes	8
	Something else (vol.)	3
	Unsure/No answer	4

CNN Poll conducted by SSRS. Oct. 12-15, 2017. N=1,010 adults nationwide. Margin of error ą 3.5. 3/17: CNN/ORC Poll

"Which of the following is the most important issue facing the country today: the economy, health care, national security, immigration, civil rights, foreign policy?" Options rotated

		10/12-15/17	3/1-4/17
		%	%
	National security	21	16
	Health care	21	20
	The economy	17	26
	Civil rights	14	12
	Foreign policy	11	7
	Immigration	10	13
	Other (vol.)	3	6
	Unsure	3	-

NBC News/Wall Street Journal Poll conducted by Hart Research Associates (D) and Public Opinion Strategies (R). Aug. 5-9, 2017. N=approx. 600 adults nationwide.

"Now, let me read you a number of issues that create much discussion, but unlike foreign policy, national defense, and the economy, they sometimes do not get as much attention. Of these issues, which one or two, if any, are important enough to you to have an impact on how you vote in an election? Gun rights or gun control. Environmental issues. Immigration. Abortion. Legalization of drugs or penalties for drug use. Religious issues and issues of faith. Gender equality issues. Gay rights." Options rotated. Up to two responses accepted.

		%
	Guns	35
	Environment	30
	Immigration	28
	Abortion	17
	Drugs	15
	Religion/Faith	15
	Gender equality	12
	Gay rights	10
	All of these (vol.)	6
	None of these (vol.)	3
	Unsure	1

Suffolk University/USA Today. Dec. 14-18, 2016. N=1,000 registered voters nationwide. Margin of error ą 3.

"Of the following five issues, what is the number one issue you want Donald Trump to address when he takes office? Creating and preserving jobs. Fighting terrorism including ISIS. Changing the way Washington works -- 'draining the swamp.' Strengthening U.S. borders, 'build a wall' and deport illegal immigrants. Seeking a special prosecutor to investigate Hillary Clinton." Options rotated

		%
	Create and preserve jobs	46
	Fight terrorism, ISIS	17
	Change Washington	15
	Build a wall, deport immigrants	7
	Investigate Hillary Clinton	1
	Unsure	12
	Refused	2

Bloomberg National Poll conducted by Selzer & Company. Dec. 2-5, 2016. N=999 adults nationwide. Margin of error ą 3.1.

"Which of the following do you see as the most important issue facing the country right now? Unemployment and jobs. Health care. Terrorism. The federal deficit. Immigration. Taxes. Trade." Options rotated

		%
	Unemployment and jobs	26
	Health care	20
	Terrorism	15
	The federal deficit	10
	Immigration	9
	Taxes	4
	Trade	2
	Other (vol.)	6
	None of these (vol.)	2
	Unsure	5

CBS News/New York Times Poll. Oct. 28-Nov. 1, 2016. N=1,333 registered voters nationwide. Margin of error ą 3.

"In deciding who you would like to see elected president this year, which one of the following issues will be most important to you: national security and terrorism, the economy and jobs, health care, immigration, or something else?" Issues rotated

		10/28 - 11/1/16	9/9-13/16
		%	%
	Economy and jobs	38	32
	National security, terrorism	28	29
	Health care	11	16
	Immigration	7	8
	Environment (vol.)	2	2
	Something else	9	7
	All are important (vol.)	3	3
	Unsure/No answer	1	3

ABC News/Washington Post Poll. Sept. 5-8, 2016. N=1,002 adults nationwide. Margin of error ą 3.5.

"Which of these is the single most important issue in your choice for president? Is it the economy and jobs, immigration issues, terrorism and national security, law and order, or corruption in government?" Options rotated

		%
	Economy, jobs	35
	Terrorism, national security	19
	Corruption in government	16
	Immigration issues	8
	Law and order	6
	Other (vol.)	2
	Any 2 or more (vol.)	11
	None (vol.)	2

NBC News/Wall Street Journal Poll conducted by Hart Research Associates (D) and Public Opinion Strategies (R). May 15-19, 2016. N=1,000 registered voters nationwide. Margin of error ą 3.1.

"Let me list some issues that have been proposed for the federal government to address. Please tell me which ONE OR TWO of these items you think should be the top priority for the federal government: Job creation and economic growth. National security and terrorism. The deficit and government spending. Health care. Climate change. Immigration. Religious and moral values." Options rotated

		%
	Job, economic growth	26
	National security, terrorism	21
	Deficit, government spending	16
	Health care	15
	Climate change	8
	Immigration	6
	Religious, moral values	5
	Other (vol.)	1
	All equally (vol.)	1
	Unsure	1

CBS News Poll. April 8-12, 2016. N=1,320 adults nationwide. Margin of error ą 3.

"What do you think is the most important problem facing this country today?" Open-ended

		%
	The economy, jobs	19
	Terrorism, Islamic extremism, ISIS	7
	Immigration, illegal immigrants	5
	Racism, race relations	4
	Education, school loans	3
	Health care, health insurance	3
	Poverty, homelessness	3
	Budget, national debt	3
	Income gap, plight of middle class	3
	Other (vol.)	45
	Unsure/No answer	5

ABC News/Washington Post Poll. Nov. 16-19, 2015. N=1,004 adults nationwide. Margin of error ą 3.5.

"Which of these is the single most important issue in your choice for president? Is it the economy, health care, immigration issues, tax policy, or the threat of terrorism?" Options rotated

		%
	Economy	33
	Terrorism	28
	Health care	13
	Immigration	10
	Tax policy	5
	Other (vol.)	1
	Any 2 or more (vol.)	9
	None (vol.)	1
	Unsure	1

Quinnipiac University. July 23-28, 2015. N=1,644 registered voters nationwide. Margin of error ą 2.4.

"Which of these is the most important issue in deciding your vote in the 2016 general election for president: the economy and jobs, terrorism, immigration, the federal deficit, health care, foreign policy, climate change, or taxes?"

		%
	Economy and jobs	37
	Health care	13
	Terrorism	12
	Foreign policy	9
	Immigration	9
	Climate change	6
	Federal deficit	6
	Taxes	3
	Unsure/No answer	4

CNN/ORC Poll. July 22-25, 2015. N=898 registered voters nationwide. Margin of error ą 3.5.

"Which of the following issues will be MOST important to you when you decide how to vote for president: foreign policy, illegal immigration, health care, terrorism, or the economy?" Options rotated

		%
	The economy	44
	Health care	20
	Terrorism	12
	Illegal immigration	11
	Foreign policy	10
	Other (vol.)	3
	Unsure	1

CBS News/New York Times Poll. April 30-May 3, 2015. N=1,027 adults nationwide. Margin of error ą 3.

"What do you think is the most important problem facing this country today?" Open-ended

		%
	The economy, jobs	20
	Misc. social issues	7
	Racism, race relations	5
	Misc. government issues	4
	Income gap/disparity	4
	Immigration, illegal immigrants	3
	Barack Obama, the president	3
	Religious values, school prayer	3
	Police problems, corruption	3
	Other (vol.)	44
	Unsure/No answer	4

George Washington University Battleground Poll conducted by the Tarrance Group (R) and Lake Research Partners (D). Dec. 7-11, 2014. N=1,000 registered voters nationwide. Margin of error ą 3.1.

"What do think is the most important issue that Congress should be dealing with next year? Would you say it is jobs, the economy, health care, illegal immigration, or foreign threats?"

		%
	The economy	29
	Illegal immigration	15
	Jobs	14
	Health care	12
	Foreign threats	9
	Combination/Other (vol.)	18
	None (vol.)	2
	Unsure/Refused	1

CBS News Poll. Oct. 23-27, 2014. N=1,079 registered voters nationwide. Margin of error ą 4.

"Which ONE of the following issues will be/was MOST important in deciding your vote for Congress this November: the economy, health care, terrorism, immigration, the federal budget deficit, or international conflicts?" Options rotated

		10/23-27/14	10/3-6/14	9/12-15/14
		%	%	%
	The economy	38	34	38
	Health care	23	17	16
	Terrorism	11	16	17
	Immigration	9	13	10
	Federal budget deficit	8	9	8
	International conflicts	7	7	6
	Something else (vol.)	2	2	1
	Unsure/No answer	2	3	3

USA Today Poll conducted by Princeton Survey Research Associates International. Oct. 23-26, 2014. N=1,210 adults nationwide. Margin of error ą 3.2.

"If Congress could pass just one major piece of legislation next year, what would you want it to be: immigration reform; overhaul of the tax code; national security, including terrorism; medical threats, such as Ebola; or job creation?"

		%
	Job creation	29
	National security	21
	Immigration reform	16
	Overhaul tax code	15
	Medical threats	11
	Other (vol.)	5
	Unsure/Refused	4

CNN/ORC Poll. Sept. 25-28, 2014. N=1,055 adults nationwide. Margin of error ą 3.

"Thinking ahead to the elections for Congress this November, if you had to choose, which of the following issues will be more important to your vote: economic conditions in the U.S., or the military action against ISIS forces in Iraq and Syria?"

		Economic conditions	Military action against ISIS	Both (vol.)	Neither (vol.)	Unsure
		%	%	%	%	%
	9/25-28/14	65	29	5	1	1

CNN/ORC Poll. Sept. 5-7, 2014. N=1,014 adults nationwide. Margin of error ą 3.

"Which of the following is the most important issue facing the country today? The economy. Terrorism. Illegal immigration. Health care. Education. The federal budget deficit. The situation in Iraq and Syria. Energy and environmental policies."

		%
	The economy	30
	Terrorism	14
	Illegal immigration	12
	Health care	11
	Education	11
	The federal budget deficit	8
	The situation in Iraq and Syria	7
	Energy and environmental policies	4
	Other (vol.)	2
	Unsure	1

NBC News/Wall Street Journal Poll conducted by Hart Research Associates (D) and Public Opinion Strategies (R). Sept. 3-7, 2014. N=approx. 500 registered voters nationwide.

"Which is more important to you in your vote for Congress this November: domestic issues such as the economy, health care, and immigration, or international issues such as Iraq, Russia, and terrorism?"

		Domestic issues	International issues	Both equally (vol.)	Unsure
		%	%	%	%
	9/3-7/14	64	22	13	1

CBS News Poll. July 29-Aug. 4, 2014. N=1,344 adults nationwide. Margin of error ą 3.

"What do you think is the most important problem facing this country today?" Open-ended

		%
	Economy/Jobs	22
	Immigration/Illegal immigrants	13
	Health care/Health insurance	5
	Partisan politics	4
	Barack Obama/The president	4
	Misc. government issues	4
	Other	43
	Unsure/No answer	5

Bloomberg National Poll conducted by Selzer & Company. June 6-9, 2014. N=1,005 adults nationwide. Margin of error ą 3.1.

"Which of the following do you see as the most important issue facing the country right now? Immigration. Health care. The federal deficit. Terrorism. Taxes. A decline in real income for American workers. Climate change. Unemployment and jobs." Options rotated

		%
	Unemployment and jobs	28
	Health care	17
	Decline in real income	16
	Federal deficit	13
	Immigration	6
	Climate change	5
	Taxes	4
	Terrorism	4
	Other (vol.)	3
	None of these (vol.)	1
	Unsure	3

CNN/ORC Poll. May 29-June 1, 2014. N=1,003 adults nationwide. Margin of error ą 3.

"Which of the following is the most important issue facing the country today? The economy. Health care. Foreign policy. The federal budget deficit. The environment. Gun policy. Immigration." Options rotated

		5/29 - 6/1/14	1/14-15/13
		%	%
	The economy	40	46
	Health care	19	14
	The federal budget deficit	15	23
	The environment	8	2
	Gun policy	6	6
	Foreign policy	5	4
	Immigration	5	3
	Other (vol.)	1	1
	Unsure	1	-

Kaiser Family Foundation Health Tracking Poll. May 13-19, 2014. N=1,279 registered voters nationwide. Margin of error ą 3.

"Thinking about the campaigns for the U.S. House and Senate this fall, what two issues would you most like to hear your congressional candidates talk about?" If respondent gives one issue, probe: "Is there another issue you'd like to hear about?" Open-ended. Up to two responses.

		%
	Economy/Jobs	34
	Health care	25
	Education	8
	Energy/Environment	8
	Debt/Deficit/Gov't spending	8
	Immigration/Border security	7
	Gov't/Congress/Politics	6
	Defense/War	5
	Taxes/Tax reform	5
	Foreign policy	3
	Other	30
	Unsure/Refused	20

Quinnipiac University Poll. Jan. 4-7, 2014. N=1.487 registered voters nationwide. Margin of error ą 2.5.

"Which of the following do you think should be the most important priority for President Obama and Congress in 2014: the economy, the federal budget deficit, health care, taxes, gun policy, immigration issues, or something else?"

		%
	The economy	39
	The federal budget deficit	23
	Health care	16
	Immigration issues	5
	Taxes	4
	Gun policy	3
	Something else	9
	Unsure	2

CBS News Poll. Nov. 15-18, 2013. N=1,010 adults nationwide. Margin of error ą 3.

"What do you think is the most important problem facing this country today?" Open-ended

		%
	Economy/Jobs	31
	Health care	15
	Budget	7
	Partisan politics	5
	President Obama	4
	Misc. government issues	3
	Family values/Moral values	3
	Other	28
	Unsure/No answer	4

CBS News Poll. Oct. 18-21, 2013. N=1,007 adults nationwide. Margin of error ą 3.

"What do you think is the most important problem facing this country today?" Open-ended

		%
	Economy/Jobs	26
	Budget	12
	Health care	8
	Partisan politics	8
	Misc. government issues	5
	Immigration	3
	President Obama	3
	Other	33
	Unsure/No answer	2

CBS News Poll. July 18-22, 2013. N=1,036 adults nationwide. Margin of error ą 3.

"Which ONE of the following do you think is the most important thing for Congress to concentrate on right now: the economy, the federal budget deficit, illegal immigration, health care, education, the environment, abortion, or something else?"

		%
	The economy	40
	The federal budget deficit	16
	Health care	15
	Education	12
	Illegal immigration	8
	The environment	3
	Abortion	2
	Something else	3
	Unsure/No answer	2

Gallup Poll. June 20-24, 2013. N=2,048 adults nationwide. Margin of error ą 3.

"Looking ahead, what is your greatest worry or concern about the future of the United States?" Open-ended

		%
	The economy	17
	Debt/Deficit/Nation's finances	11
	Employment/Jobs	6
	Wars/Conflicts in other countries	5
	Gov't not working for betterment of the people	4
	Health care/Cost of health care	4
	Country is getting worse/Won't get better	4
	Losing freedom/Civil liberties	4
	National security/Defense	3
	Government overreach/power	3
	Education/Cost of education	3
	Other	30
	Nothing	3
	Unsure	3

CBS News/New York Times Poll. May 31-June 4, 2013. N=1,022 adults nationwide. Margin of error ą 3.

"What do you think is the most important problem facing this country today?" Open-ended

		%
	Economy/Jobs	34
	Budget/National debt	6
	Health care	5
	Immigration	3
	Religious values	3
	Partisan politics	3
	Big government	3
	Values	3
	Other	37
	Unsure/No answer	3

Quinnipiac University Poll. Jan. 30-Feb. 4, 2013. N=1,772 registered voters nationwide. Margin of error ą 2.3.

"As President Obama prepares to deliver his State of the Union address, please tell me which one of the following issues you are most interested in hearing him address: the economy, the federal budget deficit, health care, gun policy, foreign policy, immigration, or the environment?"

		%
	The economy	35
	The federal budget deficit	20
	Gun policy	15
	Health care	12
	Foreign policy	5
	Immigration	4
	The environment	3
	Unsure	6

CNN/ORC Poll. Jan. 14-15, 2013. N=814 adults nationwide. Margin of error ą 3.5.

"Which of the following is the most important issue facing the country today? The economy. The federal budget deficit. Health care. Gun policy. Foreign policy. Immigration. The environment." Options rotated

		%
	The economy	46
	The federal budget deficit	23
	Health care	14
	Gun policy	6
	Foreign policy	4
	Immigration	3
	The environment	2
	Other (vol.)	1

Bloomberg National Poll conducted by Selzer & Company. Dec. 7-10, 2012. N=1,000 adults nationwide. Margin of error ą 3.1.

"Which of the following do you see as the most important issue facing the country right now? Immigration. Health care. The federal deficit. Terrorism. Taxes. The situation in the Middle East. Entitlement spending on Social Security and Medicare. Unemployment and jobs." Options rotated

		%
	Unemployment and jobs	34
	Federal deficit	19
	Social Security, Medicare spending	11
	Health care	9
	Taxes	7
	Situation in the Middle East	5
	Immigration	4
	Terrorism	2
	Other (vol.)	3
	None of these (vol.)	1
	Unsure	5

National Public Radio poll conducted by Democracy Corps (D) and Resurgent Republic (R). Oct. 23-25, 2012. N=1,000 likely voters nationwide. Margin of error ą 3.1.

"Which of the following types of issues are most likely to affect your vote for president and Congress this year: economic issues like jobs and unemployment; fiscal issues like taxes, spending, deficits, and debt; social issues like abortion and gay marriage; or national security issues like terrorism, Afghanistan, and Libya?" Options rotated

		%
	Economic issues	57
	Fiscal issues	16
	Social issues	14
	National security issues	8
	None/Other/Unsure	5

NBC News/Wall Street Journal Poll conducted by the polling organizations of Peter Hart (D) and Bill McInturff (R). Sept. 26-30, 2012. N=832 likely voters nationwide. Margin of error ą 3.4.

"There are many important issues in this presidential campaign. When it comes to deciding for whom you will vote for president, which one of the following is the single most important issue in deciding for whom you will vote? The economy. Social issues and values. Social Security and Medicare. Health care. The federal deficit. Foreign policy and the Middle East. Terrorism." If "all": "Well, if you had to choose the most important issue, which would you choose?"

		%
	The economy	46
	Social issues and values	15
	Social Security and Medicare	12
	Health care	10
	The federal deficit	7
	Foreign policy and the Middle East	6
	Terrorism	1
	None/Other (vol.)	1
	Unsure	1

Bloomberg National Poll conducted by Selzer & Company. Sept. 21-24, 2012. N=1,007 adults nationwide. Margin of error ą 3.1.

"Which of the following do you see as the most important issue facing the country right now? Unemployment and jobs. The federal deficit. Health care. Gas prices. The situation in the Middle East. Taxes. Immigration. Terrorism." Options rotated

		%
	Unemployment and jobs	43
	Federal deficit	14
	Health care	11
	Gas prices	7
	Situation in the Middle East	6
	Taxes	4
	Immigration	3
	Terrorism	3
	Other (vol.)	4
	None of these (vol.)	1
	Unsure	4

CBS News/New York Times Poll. Sept. 8-12, 2012. N=1,170 registered voters nationwide. Margin of error ą 3.

"What is the most important issue to you in deciding how you will vote for president this year?" Open-ended

		%
	Economy and jobs	37
	Health care	11
	Budget deficit/National debt	4
	The President/Barack Obama	4
	Education	3
	Taxes/IRS	3
	Abortion	2
	Medicare/Medicaid	2
	Women's issues	2
	Misc. social issues	2
	Other	20
	Unsure/No answer	10

CBS News Poll. Aug. 22-26, 2012. N=1,218 adults nationwide. Margin of error ą 3.

"What do you think is the most important problem facing this country today?" Open-ended

		%
	Economy/Jobs	50
	Budget deficit/National debt	7
	Health care	5
	Immigration	2
	Education	2
	War/Peace	2
	Politicians/Government	2
	Partisan politics	2
	Misc. social issues	2
	Other	21
	Unsure/No answer	5

Pew Research Center. June 7-17, 2012. N=1,563 registered voters nationwide. Margin of error ą 2.9.

"Which ONE of the following issues matters most to you in deciding your vote for president this year: jobs, the budget deficit, health care, Social Security, immigration, or gay marriage?" Options rotated

		%
	Jobs	35
	Budget deficit	23
	Health care	19
	Social Security	11
	Immigration	5
	Gay marriage	4
	Other (vol.)	2
	Unsure	2

CNN/ORC Poll. May 29-31, 2012. N=1,009 adults nationwide. Margin of error ą 3.

"Which of the following is the most important issue facing the country today? The economy. The federal budget deficit. Health care. The situation in Afghanistan. Illegal immigration. Terrorism. Policies toward gays and lesbians." Options rotated

		5/29-31/12	3/24-25/12	12/16-18/11
		%	%	%
	The economy	52	53	57
	The federal budget deficit	18	20	16
	Health care	14	11	13
	Terrorism	5	2	4
	Illegal immigration	4	4	5
	Afghanistan	3	6	3
	Policies toward gays, lesbians	1	2	1
	Other (vol.)	2	1	2
	Unsure	1	1	-

ABC News/Washington Post Poll. May 17-20, 2012. N=1,004 adults nationwide. Margin of error ą 3.5.

"What is the single most important issue in your choice for president?" Open-ended

		%
	Economy/Jobs	52
	Health care/Repeal of Obamacare	7
	Morals/Family values	5
	Ethics/Honesty/Gov't corruption	4
	Other	27
	Unsure	4

Reuters/Ipsos Poll conducted by Ipsos Public Affairs. April 12-15, 2012. N=891 registered voters nationwide. Margin of error ą 3.3.

"Which one of these issues would you say is most important when thinking about the current presidential election campaign? Jobs and the economy. Health care. Family values. Leadership. National security. Taxes. Foreign policy. Representing change."

		%
	Jobs and the economy	53
	Health care	14
	Family values	9
	Leadership	8
	National security	5
	Taxes	3
	Foreign policy	3
	Representing change	2
	None	1
	Unsure	1

CBS News/New York Times Poll. Feb. 8-13, 2012. N=1,197 adults nationwide. Margin of error ą 3.

"Which one issue would you most like to hear the candidates for president discuss during the 2012 presidential campaign?" Open-ended

		%
	Economy and jobs	44
	Health care	8
	Budget deficit/National debt	4
	Education	3
	Taxes/IRS	3
	Immigration	2
	Politicians/Government	2
	Partisan politics	2
	Other	21
	Unsure/No answer	11

CBS News/New York Times Poll. Jan. 12-17, 2012. N=1,154 adults nationwide. Margin of error ą 3.

"In deciding who you would like to see elected president this year, which one of the following issues will be most important to you: abortion, or the federal budget deficit, or the economy, or health care, or illegal immigration, or something else?" Options rotated

		%
	Economy	56
	Federal budget deficit	15
	Health care	14
	Illegal immigration	5
	Abortion	3
	Something else	6
	Unsure/No answer	1

Bloomberg National Poll conducted by Selzer & Company. June 17-20, 2011. N=1,000 adults nationwide. Margin of error ą 3.1.

"Which of the following do you see as the most important issue facing the country right now? Unemployment and jobs. Government spending. The federal deficit. Health care. The war in Afghanistan. Gas prices. Immigration. Taxes." Options rotated

		%
	Unemployment and jobs	42
	Government spending	17
	The federal deficit	13
	Health care	10
	War in Afghanistan	5
	Gas prices	4
	Immigration	3
	Taxes	1
	Other (vol.)	2
	Unsure	3

Fox News Poll conducted by Anderson Robbins Research (D) and Shaw & Company Research (R). May 15-17, 2011. N=910 registered voters nationwide. Margin of error ą 3.

"Which one of the following issues do you think the president and Congress should focus on right now? The economy and jobs. The deficit and government spending. Health care. Terrorism and national security. Wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Immigration." Options rotated

		%
	Economy and jobs	50
	Deficit and government spending	22
	Health care	8
	Terrorism and national security	5
	Wars in Iraq and Afghanistan	4
	Immigration	2
	All (vol.)	7
	None/Other (vol.)	1
	Unsure	1

Bloomberg National Poll conducted by Selzer & Company. March 4-7, 2011. N=1,001 adults nationwide. Margin of error ą 3.1.

"Which of the following do you see as the most important issue facing the country right now? Immigration. Health care. The federal deficit and government spending. The war in Afghanistan. Unemployment and jobs." Options rotated

		3/11	12/10
		%	%
	Unemployment and jobs	43	50
	Federal deficit and spending	29	25
	Health care	12	9
	War in Afghanistan	7	7
	Immigration	3	5
	Other (vol.)	4	1
	Unsure	2	3

CBS News/New York Times Poll. Jan. 15-19, 2011. N=1,036 adults nationwide. Margin of error ą 3.

"Which of the following do you think is the most important thing for Congress to concentrate on right now: job creation, the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, the federal budget deficit, illegal immigration, health care, or something else?"

		%
	Job creation	43
	Health care	18
	Federal budget deficit	14
	Wars in Iraq and Afghanistan	12
	Illegal immigration	7
	Something else	3
	Unsure/No answer	3

CBS News Poll. Nov. 7-10, 2010. N=1,137 adults nationwide. Margin of error ą 3.

"Of all the problems facing this country today, which one do you most want the new Congress to concentrate on first when it begins in January?" Open-ended

		%
	Economy and jobs	56
	Health care	14
	Budget deficit/National debt	4
	Immigration	2
	Education	2
	War/Iraq/Afghanistan	2
	Taxes/IRS	2
	Other	9
	Unsure/No answer	9

USA Today/Gallup Poll. Oct. 28-31, 2010. N=1,140 adults nationwide. Margin of error ą 4.

"Looking ahead, which of the following should be the highest priority for Congress after the election: repealing the new healthcare law, passing a new economic stimulus bill designed to create jobs, cutting federal spending, or extending all the federal income tax cuts enacted during the Bush administration?" Options rotated

		%
	Passing new stimulus bill	38
	Cutting federal spending	24
	Repealing health care law	23
	Extending all income tax cuts	8
	Other (vol.)	4
	Unsure	3

Reuters/Ipsos Poll conducted by Ipsos Public Affairs. Oct. 28-31, 2010. N=1,075 adults nationwide. Margin of error ą 3.

"I'd like you to think now about what Congress should focus on next year in 2011. For each issue, please tell me if you think it is crucial, important, or not important for Congress to focus on as a key issue in 2011. . . ."

		Crucial	Important	Not important	Unsure
		%	%	%	%
	"Jobs"
	10/28-31/10	72	25	2	-
	10/7-11/10	65	32	3	1

	"The budget deficit"
	10/28-31/10	57	38	5	1
	10/7-11/10	56	35	7	2

	"Health care"
	10/28-31/10	53	41	6	-
	10/7-11/10	48	43	9	-

	"Taxes"
	10/28-31/10	44	47	7	2
	10/7-11/10	37	52	9	2

	"Energy"
	10/28-31/10	36	53	10	1
	10/7-11/10	30	58	11	2

	"The environment"
	10/28-31/10	31	53	15	1
	10/7-11/10	26	56	17	1

	"Afghanistan"
	10/28-31/10	37	46	13	3
	10/7-11/10	35	44	17	4

Pew Research Center survey. Oct. 27-30, 2010. N=2,373 registered voters nationwide. Margin of error ą 2.5.

"Of the following six issues, which ONE would you say is MOST important to your vote for Congress this year: the job situation, health care, the deficit, immigration, the situation in Afghanistan, or terrorism?" Options rotated

		%
	The job situation	39
	Health care	25
	The deficit	17
	Immigration	6
	The situation in Afghanistan	5
	Terrorism	3
	Other (vol.)	2
	None of these (vol.)	1
	Unsure	3

Bloomberg National Poll conducted by Selzer & Company. Oct. 7-10, 2010. N=721 likely voters nationwide. Margin of error ą 3.7.

"Which of the following do you see as the most important issue facing the country right now: unemployment and jobs, the federal deficit and government spending, health care, the war in Afghanistan, or immigration?" Options rotated

		%
	Unemployment, jobs	49
	Federal deficit, spending	27
	Health care	10
	War in Afghanistan	7
	Immigration	5
	Other (vol.)	1
	Unsure	1

CBS News Poll. Oct. 1-5, 2010. N=1,129 adults nationwide. Margin of error ą 3.

"What do you think is the most important problem facing this country today?" Open-ended

		%
	Economy/Jobs	54
	Health care	7
	Budget deficit/National debt	3
	Immigration	3
	Education	2
	Moral values/Family values	2
	The President/Barack Obama	2
	Other	22
	Unsure/No answer	5

USA Today/Gallup Poll. Aug. 27-30, 2010. N=1,021 adults nationwide. Margin of error ą 4.

"How important will each of the following issues be to your vote for Congress this year? Will it be extremely important, very important, moderately important, or not that important? How about . . . ?"

		Extremely important	Very important	Moderately important	Not that important	Unsure
		%	%	%	%	%
	"The economy"
	8/27-30/10	62	31	6	1	-

	"Jobs"
	8/27-30/10	60	32	6	1	-

	"Federal spending"
	8/27-30/10	51	30	15	3	1

	"Corruption in government"
	8/27-30/10	51	30	14	4	1

	"Health care"
	8/27-30/10	49	30	15	5	1

	"Terrorism"
	8/27-30/10	47	28	17	6	1

	"Immigration"
	8/27-30/10	38	27	23	11	1

	"The situation in Afghanistan"
	8/27-30/10	35	33	24	6	2

	"The environment"
	8/27-30/10	28	32	29	12	-

FOX News/Opinion Dynamics Poll. June 29-30, 2010. N=900 registered voters nationwide. MoE ą 3.

"Which ONE of the following do you think is most important for the president to be working on right now? The economy and jobs. The oil spill in the Gulf. The deficit and government spending. Health care. Wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Immigration. Terrorism and national security. Taxes." Options rotated

		%
	Economy and jobs	32
	Gulf oil spill	14
	Deficit and government spending	12
	Health care	6
	Iraq and Afghanistan	6
	Immigration	4
	Terrorism and national security	4
	Taxes	1
	All (vol.)	20
	None/Other (vol.)	1
	Unsure	1

Kaiser Family Foundation Kaiser Health Tracking Poll. June 17-22, 2010. N=1,066 registered voters nationwide.

"Thinking ahead to the November 2010 congressional elections, how important will each of the following issues be to your vote for Congress this year? [See below.] Will that be extremely important, very important, somewhat important, or not too important to your vote for Congress this year?"

		Extremely important	Very important	Somewhat important	Not too important	Unsure/ Refused
		%	%	%	%	%
	"The economy"
	6/17-22/10	52	39	7	2	-

	"The Gulf Coast oil spill"
	6/17-22/10	45	35	13	6	1

	"The budget deficit"
	6/17-22/10	44	35	15	5	1

	"Health care"
	6/17-22/10	42	36	13	7	1

	"Unemployment"
	6/17-22/10	40	41	14	4	-

	"The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan"
	6/17-22/10	37	38	17	8	-

	"Dissatisfaction with government"
	6/17-22/10	37	32	20	9	2

	"Energy policy"
	6/17-22/10	26	39	24	8	2

NBC News/Wall Street Journal Poll conducted by the polling organizations of Peter Hart (D) and Bill McInturff (R). June 17-21, 2010. N=1,000 adults nationwide. MoE ą 3.1.

"Let me list some issues that have been proposed for the federal government to address. Please tell me which one of these items you think should be the top priority for the federal government. Job creation and economic growth. The Gulf Coast oil spill and energy. The deficit and government spending. National security and terrorism. The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Health care. Social issues such as abortion and same-sex marriage." If more than one: "Well, if you had to choose just one, which do you think should be the top priority?" Options rotated

		%
	Job creation and economic growth	33
	Gulf Coast oil spill and energy	22
	Deficit and government spending	15
	National security and terrorism	9
	Iraq and Afghanistan	9
	Health care	7
	Social issues	2
	All equally (vol.)	3

Problems and priorities continued

HOME | TABLE OF CONTENTS | SEARCH THE SITECopyright Š 2020 POLLING REPORT, INC., and polling/sponsoring organizations