GALLUP NEWS SERVICE
PRINCETON, NJ -- The issues that will be important to Americans when they consider which presidential candidate to vote for this year vary substantially by political party, according to a new Gallup poll conducted January 13-16. Among all Americans, the most important issue identified in the poll is public education at the elementary and high school levels, which is described as "extremely important" by 39% of respondents and "very important" by another 46%. Several issues tie for second place, including the problems of raising children in today's culture, the cost of health care, and federal policy toward Social Security and Medicare -- both currently and with respect to future generations. About eight in 10 Americans mention each of these as either "extremely" or "very" important. Also noteworthy is the fact that the nation's economy, a dominant concern in previous elections, is not in the top 5 most important factors in determining the presidential vote this year.
These priorities are not the same among Republicans, however. The issue that leads the GOP list is presidential character and integrity - perhaps a continuing outgrowth of the impeachment crisis of 1998-99, and the Republican focus on their perceptions of the moral character flaws of Bill Clinton. Only 21% of Democrats say this issue is "extremely important," compared with 40% of Republicans -- the greatest percentage of Republicans rating an issue "extremely important." With those who say the issue is "very important" included, 80% of Republicans, compared with just 64% of Democrats, say the issue is either "extremely" or "very" important to them.
The same general pattern of differences is found on two other issues: moral standards in the country, and the amount of taxes Americans have to pay. About eight in 10 Republicans say these issues are either "extremely" or "very" important, compared with less than seven in 10 Democrats. This may help explain why tax cut plans have been a central focus of Republican candidates George W. Bush and John McCain in the early primary states this year.
Compared with Republicans, Democrats place greater importance on a wide variety of specific issues: public education the problems of raising children, the cost of health care, the number of Americans with no health insurance, Social Security and Medicare, the medical care available in HMOs, poverty and homelessness, race relations, the environment, federal policy on crime prevention, and gun laws.
Issues where voters in the two parties do not differ include the federal income tax system, how the budget surplus is dealt with, campaign finance reform, the size and power of the federal government, the U.S. role in world affairs, abortion policy, federal spending on the military, government policy concerning gays and lesbians, foreign trade, and the nation's economy. All of these issues, except for the economy, receive relatively low importance ratings. The economy is rated about the middle of the issues included in this poll.
Survey Methods
The results reported here are based on telephone interviews with a
randomly selected national sample of 1,027 adults, 18 years and
older, conducted January 13-16, 2000. For results based on the
whole sample, one can say with 95 percent confidence that the
maximum error attributable to sampling and other random effects is
plus or minus 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.
Next, we'd like to know which issues will be important to you when you vote in this year's presidential election. As I read each issue, please tell me if it will be extremely important to your vote, very important, somewhat important, not too important, or not important at all. [ROTATE: A-Y]
| Extremely | Very | Some-what | Not too | Not at all | No opinion | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| % | % | % | % | % | % | |
| Public education at the elementary and high school levels | 39 | 46 | 11 | 2 | 1 | 1 |
| The problems of raising children in today's culture | 33 | 44 | 16 | 4 | 2 | 1 |
| The cost of healthcare | 32 | 49 | 16 | 2 | -- | 1 |
| The number of Americans with no health insurance | 31 | 42 | 21 | 4 | 1 | 1 |
| Policy on Social Security and Medicare for future generations | 31 | 51 | 14 | 2 | 1 | 1 |
| The amount Americans pay in federal taxes | 29 | 43 | 21 | 5 | 1 | 1 |
| Moral standards in the country | 29 | 42 | 18 | 7 | 3 | 1 |
| Current policy concerning Social Security and Medicare benefits | 29 | 50 | 18 | 3 | -- | -- |
| Presidential character integrity | 29 | 45 | 19 | 4 | 2 | 1 |
| The nation's economy | 28 | 53 | 16 | 2 | -- | 1 |
| The medical care available in the HMO system | 26 | 43 | 22 | 5 | 2 | 2 |
| Poverty and homelessness | 26 | 46 | 23 | 3 | 1 | 1 |
| Gun laws | 25 | 38 | 24 | 8 | 4 | 1 |
| The federal income tax system | 25 | 45 | 24 | 4 | 1 | 1 |
| How the budget surplus is dealt with | 24 | 44 | 24 | 4 | 1 | 3 |
| Federal policy on crime prevention | 23 | 48 | 22 | 5 | 1 | 1 |
| The environment | 23 | 45 | 34 | 5 | 2 | 1 |
| Race relations | 20 | 36 | 29 | 7 | 6 | 2 |
| Abortion policy | 19 | 28 | 26 | 15 | 11 | 1 |
| Federal spending on the military | 18 | 38 | 32 | 9 | 2 | 1 |
| The size and power of the federal government | 17 | 36 | 32 | 9 | 4 | 2 |
| The U.S. role in world affairs | 17 | 43 | 30 | 6 | 2 | 2 |
| Campaign finance reform | 12 | 22 | 37 | 18 | 8 | 3 |
| Foreign Trade | 10 | 34 | 41 | 10 | 3 | 2 |
| Government policies concerning gays and lesbians | 8 | 17 | 30 | 21 | 22 | 2 |
