Economy Dominates as Nation's Most Important Problem

PRINCETON, NJ -- Americans name the economy in general and the jobs situation specifically as the top problems facing the country today. Top-of-mind mentions of "natural disaster response and relief" efforts are down significantly after spiking in June.

Americans' perceptions that the economy or jobs are the nation's top problem have been a constant since early 2008. At this point, 64% of Americans mention some aspect of the economy as the top problem, compared with 22% as recently as October 2007.

While the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico certainly remains in the news, the percentage of Americans mentioning natural disaster relief as the nation's top problem settled to 7% this month, after jumping to 18% in June from 1% in May.

Americans' reduced likelihood to see the spill as the top problem could reflect the reality that the spill is no longer "new" news or perhaps that Americans are becoming more confident that the spill will be fixed.

Other significant findings this month:

• The only non-economic issue that 10% or more of Americans mention is dissatisfaction with government and politicians (11%).
• Mentions of fuel and oil prices (5%) as the nation's top problem are the highest since October 2008.
• The percentage of Americans mentioning healthcare is down to 7%, continuing a recent downtick in top-of-mind concerns about healthcare, and the lowest reading since April 2009. During the congressional battle over healthcare reform legislation in February, 23% of Americans named healthcare as the top problem.
• Economic issues top the list of most important problems across all political groups. Republicans and independents are most likely to mention the economy in general, while Democrats tilt toward mentioning jobs.
• Republicans are much more likely than independents or Democrats to mention dissatisfaction with government as the top problem.
• Both Republicans and independents are more likely to mention immigration than are Democrats.

Bottom Line

Americans' views of the most important problem facing the country continue to reflect significant worries about the economy. This confirms Gallup's ongoing economic confidence measures, which in recent weeks have become more negative. Although the precise percentage of Americans mentioning economic concerns varies from month to month, these issues have dominated the public's consciousness for well over two years. This fact should serve as a sharp reminder to politicians and challengers involved in House and Senate races this fall; failure to address economic issues will be at the candidate's own peril.