Americans Continue to Put Iraq at Top of Government's Agenda

GALLUP NEWS SERVICE

PRINCETON, NJ -- By a wide margin, Americans continue to say the war in Iraq should be the top priority for the president and Congress right now, according to a recent Gallup Panel survey. The public also frequently mentions fuel and oil prices, the general state of the economy, the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah in the Middle East, and immigration as issues that should be top priorities for the government. Republicans and Democrats differ substantially in their views of what they want the government to address, with Republicans more likely to mention immigration, the Middle East conflict, and terrorism, and Democrats more likely to say Iraq and healthcare.

Overall Results

The poll, conducted July 24-27, surveyed a nationally representative sample of 1,001 adult members of Gallup's household panel. Respondents were asked to name, without prompting, what should be the one or two "top priorities for the president and Congress to deal with." The results show 48% of Americans mention the current situation in Iraq. This is followed by fuel or oil prices (17%), the general state of the economy (15%), the conflict in the Middle East between Israel and the Hezbollah group in Lebanon (14%), and immigration (13%).

Respondents also mentioned issues like healthcare, the federal budget deficit, education, and terrorism. Here are the full results to the question:

Public opinion has shifted in recent months about the top priorities for the president and Congress to deal with at the present time.

Since Gallup first started asking this question in April, the war in Iraq has consistently ranked as the most salient issue for the president and Congress. In April, 29% of Americans said the situation in Iraq should be the top priority for the government. This measure increased to 42% in May and again to 60% in June. Currently, this percentage is down slightly, to 48%, but Iraq still remains the dominant issue for the government to deal with, mentioned spontaneously by nearly half of the poll's respondents.

Americans' views that immigration is the top government priority continue to decline this month. At its highpoint in May, 23% of Americans said immigration should be the top priority; now, only 13% feel this way.

The percentages of Americans saying the top government priorities should be fuel or oil prices, the economy, or healthcare have shown little change in the past month. This is also the first poll in which Americans cited the conflict in the Middle East as a top priority for the government.

Partisan Views of the Nation's Priorities

Republicans (including independents who lean toward the Republican Party) and Democrats (including Democratic-leaning independents) differ significantly in their views of where the president and Congress should be focusing their attention.

Overall, the war in Iraq is the top priority for both party groups, far exceeding any other issue mentioned in the survey. Republicans are more likely than Democrats to mention immigration (19% vs. 8%), the conflict in the Middle East (18% vs. 12%), and terrorism (7% vs. 1%). Democrats are more likely than Republicans to mention Iraq (54% vs. 40%) and healthcare issues (11% vs. 6%). Roughly the same percentage of Republicans and Democrats mention fuel prices and the economy.

Survey Methods

Results for this panel study are based on telephone interviews with 1,001 national adults, aged 18 and older, conducted July 24-27, 2006. Respondents were randomly drawn from Gallup's nationally representative household panel, which was originally recruited through random selection methods. For results based on the total sample of national adults, one can say with 95% confidence that the maximum margin of sampling error is ±3 percentage points. In addition to sampling error, question wording and practical difficulties in conducting surveys can introduce error or bias into the findings of public opinion polls.