Public Wants Government to Focus on Iraq, Fuel Prices, Immigration

GALLUP NEWS SERVICE

PRINCETON, NJ -- Americans continue to say that the war in Iraq should be the top priority for the president and Congress, according to a recent Gallup Panel poll. After Iraq, the public feels that the government should focus on fuel and oil prices, immigration policy, the general state of the economy, and healthcare issues. Over the past month, Americans have become much more likely to say that the war in Iraq and fuel prices should be the top priority, with fuel prices surpassing immigration this month. Republicans are more likely than Democrats to say immigration should be the government's top priority, while Democrats are more inclined to mention Iraq, the economy, and healthcare.

The poll was conducted May 22-24 of a nationally representative sample of 1,003 members of Gallup's household panel.

Americans' Top Priorities

The poll asked Americans to identify, without prompting, what should be the "top priority for the president and Congress to deal with" at the present time. The results show that more than 4 in 10 Americans, 42%, say the war in Iraq should be the top priority. This is followed by fuel or oil prices, at 29%, immigration, at 23%, the economy, at 14%, and healthcare, at 12%.

Other issues mentioned in response to the question include terrorism, education, the federal budget deficit, unemployment or jobs, and taxes.

Here are the full results:

Over the past month, Americans have become increasingly likely to say fuel and oil prices and the war in Iraq should be the government's top priorities. Twenty-nine percent of Americans in April said the war in Iraq should be the top priority, and now, 42% feel this way. There has also been a 16-point increase in mentions of fuel prices, up from 13% in April to 29% now. More Americans now say fuel prices should be the top priority than immigration, which showed only a slight increase from 20% in April to 23% in May.

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 view of where the president and Congress should be focusing their attention.

Republicans have three top issues: the current situation in Iraq, immigration, and fuel or oil prices, with between 30% and 37% mentioning each. Among Democrats, the war in Iraq is, by far, the most salient issue, with nearly half of Democrats mentioning it.

Republicans are more likely than Democrats to mention immigration (33% vs. 14%), while Democrats are more likely than Republicans to mention the war in Iraq (47% vs. 37%), the economy (17% vs. 10%), and healthcare (12% vs. 7%). Republicans mention fuel or oil prices more frequently than Democrats, though these differences fall within the margin of error for this survey.

Since April, there has been an increase among both party groups in mentions of Iraq and fuel prices. Mentions of Iraq increased from 25% to 36% among Republicans and from 31% to 47% among Democrats, while the percentage saying fuel prices rose from 14% to 30% among Republicans and from 14% to 26% among Democrats. Republicans are also slightly more likely to mention immigration this month, up from 27% to 33%, but there has been little change among Democrats, from 15% to 14%.

Half of Senior Citizens Mention Iraq as Top Priority

The poll also finds some differences between age groups, with fuel prices a higher priority for those under age 65, and Iraq and immigration a higher priority for senior citizens.

Overall, Iraq is the government's top priority for Americans in all age groups, but senior citizens more frequently mention the war in Iraq. In fact, half of those aged 65 and older mention the war in Iraq, compared with only about 4 in 10 adults who are younger.

Older Americans are also more likely to say immigration should be the top governmental priority. Thirty-two percent of those aged 65 and older say immigration should be the top priority, compared with 17% of 18- to 34-year-olds, 25% of adults aged 35 to 49, and 22% of adults aged 50 to 64.

On the other hand, older Americans are less concerned about fuel prices -- just 17% of those aged 65 and older believe the government should focus its attention on this issue, compared with at least 30% in all other age groups.

Survey Methods

Results for the Gallup Panel study are based on telephone interviews with 1,003 national adults, aged 18 and older, conducted May 22-24, 2006. Respondents were randomly drawn from Gallup's household panel, which was originally recruited through random selection methods. The panel was weighted prior to sampling so that it was demographically representative of the U.S. adult population.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.