PUBLIC STILL IGNORING CLIMATE - GALLUP

Voters Rate Economy as Top Issue for 2010; Majority of registered voters say it will be extremely important to their vote
Jeffrey M. Jones, April 8, 2010 (Gallup)

"Fifty-seven percent of registered voters say the economy will be extremely important to their vote for Congress this year, making it the top issue in the 2010 elections. Healthcare, unemployment, and the federal budget deficit rank behind the economy in importance, with the environment the least important of the seven issues tested…

"The top issues voters say they will take into account when voting this year are similar to the ones Americans currently cite as the most important problems facing the country. But they are quite different from those in the last midterm elections, in 2006, when international matters like Iraq and terrorism topped domestic concerns in voters' minds. Today, as the United States continues its recovery from the economic downturn that developed in 2008-2009, the economy is the top issue for Democratic (58%), independent (57%), and Republican (54%) voters."

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"Democrats also assign a high degree of importance to healthcare and unemployment. For Republicans, terrorism and the federal budget deficit are the next-most-important issues after the economy. The deficit ranks as the second-most-important issue for independents…"

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"Much of Congress' work this year has focused on healthcare, and Americans have been divided on the legislation both before and after it passed. But it is unclear how much of a voter backlash there may be against the Democratic Party this fall…Republican and independent voters are much less likely than Democratic voters to say healthcare will be important to their vote for Congress. Moreover, among voters who say healthcare is extremely important to their vote, roughly equal percentages say they would vote for the Democratic (47%) and the Republican (48%) candidate in their district…

"Democratic candidates may be more vulnerable on government spending, as both Republicans and independents rate the federal budget deficit as a more important issue than healthcare. And among those who say the deficit is extremely important to their vote, 56% would vote for the Republican candidate and 36% for the Democrat."