Public PerspectivesTracking Issue Priorities Americans Assess Their Most Important Issues
July 2013 U.S. Public Affairs
Ipsos Public Affairs (U.S.)
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The general themes from the data are…
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The biggest issue remains unemployment/jobs, but concern here continues to show steady decline, and is now at the lowest point since tracking began. Concern about healthcare follows, and the trend remains steady despite increasing signals that the launch of the exchanges (part of the Affordable Care Act) in October may cause significant confusion and uncertainty around health provision.
Public concern about taxation has declined with the end of US tax season, and the data shows an up-tick in public concern about terrorism in the aftermath of the Boston Marathon bombing.
U.S. residents and their Canadian neighbors share two of the same top three issue concerns – healthcare and corruption. While select other countries also have some similar top issue concerns, they also differ in certain circumstances; for example immigration control in the UK, crime and violence in Brazil.
5Which three of the following topics do you find the most worrying in your country? (List provided)
Top 3 Issues U.S. Canada UK France Germany Brazil Japan
Unemployment and jobs 45% 32% 43% 66% 33% 12% 49%Health care 36% 40% 20% 13% 17% 60% 16%Corruption (financial or political) 25% 37% 19% 23% 23% 38% 14%Moral decline 22% 15% 21% 18% 18% 4% 33%Taxes 21% 36% 13% 34% 14% 24% 31%Crime and violence 21% 19% 19% 24% 24% 57% 17%Terrorism 20% 4% 16% 6% 9% 1% 2%Immigration control 18% 16% 38% 16% 18% 1% 4%Education 17% 14% 9% 11% 18% 39% 14%Poverty and social inequality 16% 23% 28% 39% 55% 32% 35%Inflation 10% 10% 9% 8% 13% 13% 9%Maintaining social programs 9% 8% 14% 5% 6% 1% 34%Threats against the environment 8% 12% 6% 9% 13% 8% 12%Climate change 8% 10% 5% 4% 12% 1% 14%Rise of extremism 8% 6% 24% 19% 11% --- 3%Childhood obesity 6% 5% 4% 1% 7% 2% ---
% Identify Issue in Top 3 – U.S. and Select Comparison Countries
The issue agenda of U.S. residents has remained focused on unemployment/jobs, although its dominance continues to decline. Taxes have also fallen off now that tax season is over. Interestingly, terrorism is the only issue to have increased recently.
Which three of the following topics do you find the most worrying in your country? (List provided)
TrackingSelect Top Issues – UNITED STATES
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45%
36%
25%
22%
21%
21%
20%
18%
17%
16%
8%
Most Recent
Which three of the following topics do you find the most worrying in your country? (List provided)
TrackingSelect Top Issues – UNITED STATES
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44%
40%
24%
24%
19%
23%
19%
16%
20%
17%
9%
8%
Most Recent
WOMEN
The decline in focus on unemployment/jobs is the continuation of a trend started over two years ago among women. Healthcare has almost replaced unemployment/jobs atop the list.
Unemployment/jobs has also declined as the key issue among men, although it remains firm as the highest priority among men.
Which three of the following topics do you find the most worrying in your country? (List provided)
TrackingSelect Top Issues – UNITED STATES
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45%
31%
26%
24%
21%
20%
19%
19%
15%
14%
9%
7%
Most Recent
MEN
Healthcare has re-emerged as the second most important issue among younger residents, although education is close behind.
Which three of the following topics do you find the most worrying in your country? (List provided)
TrackingSelect Top Issues – UNITED STATES
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44%
28%
26%
22%
20%
20%
19%
18%
16%
15%
10%
9%
Most Recent
YOUNGER (Under 35)
Healthcare has almost overtaken unemployment/jobs as a the top issue concern among middle-aged Americans.
Which three of the following topics do you find the most worrying in your country? (List provided)
TrackingSelect Top Issues – UNITED STATES
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Most Recent
MIDDLE-AGE (35-49)
46%
39%
26%
23%
22%
22%
21%
15%
14%
14%
11%
6%
Unemployment/jobs remains the top issue among older residents, although healthcare is a very close second.
Which three of the following topics do you find the most worrying in your country? (List provided)
TrackingSelect Top Issues – UNITED STATES
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44%
41%
28%
25%
24%
24%
23%
22%
13%
10%
7%
7%
Most Recent
OLDER (50+)
While declining, unemployment/jobs remains by far the top issue among lower income households.
Which three of the following topics do you find the most worrying in your country? (List provided)
TrackingSelect Top Issues – UNITED STATES
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Most Recent
LOWER HOUSEHOLD INCOME
53%
29%
28%
24%
20%
19%
19%
16%
16%
14%
10%
8%
Similarly, while declining, unemployment/jobs remains the top issue among middle income households.
Which three of the following topics do you find the most worrying in your country? (List provided)
TrackingSelect Top Issues – UNITED STATES
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Most Recent
MIDDLE HOUSEHOLD INCOME
48%
37%
24%
23%
22%
21%
18%
17%
17%
16%
9%
6%
Healthcare has almost overtaken unemployment/jobs as the top issue among higher income households.
Which three of the following topics do you find the most worrying in your country? (List provided)
TrackingSelect Top Issues – UNITED STATES
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Most Recent
HIGHER HOUSEHOLD INCOME
38%
37%
29%
25%
24%
23%
19%
16%
16%
12%
9%
8%
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Clifford YoungSenior Vice [email protected]
Julia ClarkVice [email protected]
Data for this report were taken from Ipsos Global @dvisor
SURVEY METHOD COUNTRIES SAMPLE WEIGHTINGThe survey instrument is conducted monthly in 24 countries around the world via the Ipsos Online Panel system. Data are normally collected in the 2nd and 3rd weeks of each month.
The countries normally included in the tracking include Argentina, Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, Great Britain, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Poland, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Turkey and the United States of America.
The normal sample each wave consists of an international sample of approximately 19,000 adults age 18-64 in the US and Canada, and age 16-64 in all other countries. Approximately 1000+ individuals participate on a country by country basis via the Ipsos Online Panel with the exception of Argentina, Belgium, Indonesia, Mexico, Poland, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, South Korea, Sweden and Turkey, where each have a sample approximately 500+.
Weighting is employed to balance demographics to ensure that the sample's composition reflects that of the adult population according to the most recent country Census data. A survey with an unweighted probability sample and a 100% response rate would have an estimated margin of error of +/-3.1 percentage points for a sample of 1,000 and an estimated margin of error of +/- 4.5 percentage points 19 times out of 20 per country for a sample of 500 of what the results would have been had the entire population of adults in that country had been polled. All sample surveys and polls may be subject to other sources of error, including, but not limited to coverage error, and measurement error.
10.
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