What’s Most Important?
A poll released this week by Scott Rasmussen tells of a divided country when it comes to priorities.
His survey, conducted late last week of 1,200 registered voters across the country, identified the economy as the top issue facing the nation today…nearly a third, 30 percent, of those surveyed said so. That’s not a huge surprise, giving that the economy and health care have typically been the top issues for some time.
But there are distinctions based upon age and partisanship.
Among Democrats, civil rights is the top issue facing the nation, with 24 percent of Democrats surveyed saying so. Another 23 percent say health care is number one, while 20 percent say the economy is most important.
But for Republicans, the economy is clearly the top issue…41 percent of GOP voters say that’s their priority, with law and order next at 20 percent and health care at 13 percent.
Obviously, current events has a lot to do with how folks feel.
The growing segment of independent voters is the bloc to watch; the economy is tops in importance in their view, with 30 percent saying so…civil rights is number two, at 15 percent.
That seems important as we head toward November…both Republicans and independents say the economy is the top issue…so how quickly the nation responds following the pandemic shutdown may determine the outcome of the election generally.
Older voters typically show up in greater numbers than younger voters…so while those under 35 say civil rights is the country’s number one issue, older voters place higher priority on the economy and health care.
And perhaps not surprising, given current events, among black voters, civil rights is the top priority…but among whites and Hispanics, it’s the economy.
Kitchen table issues typically rule in national elections…and with Republicans, independents, whites, Hispanics, and older voters all saying the economy is the number one issue…it’s clearly something to watch in making any predictions about November.
