According to a new Rasmussen poll, the number of voters who say the economy will be “very important” in determining whom they vote for in the next Congressional elections has reached its highest point in more than two years.
In the poll, 87% of respondents cited the economy as a very important issue, the largest percentage since August 2008, when Rasmussen began polling the question regularly. The new result is up five points from the 82% finding in the previous poll, conducted in October 2010.
The economy has almost always been the top concern cited by voters, with the percentage of respondents who’ve called it “very important” holding steadily above 80% since October 2009. The next most important issues surveyed in the latest poll were health care (71%), ethics and corruption (67%), and taxes (65%.)
The results also provide some insight into how the struggling economy has pushed other issues to the back burner.
In August 2008, 69% or respondents said the war on terror would be a major determinant in how they voted, while 66% said the same about the war in Iraq. In the latest poll, those numbers had dropped to 54% and 34%, respectively, making them two of the three lowest priorities on the list. Afghanistan rounded out the bottom three, with 41% calling it a very important issue.
The Rasmussen poll of 1,000 likely voters nationwide was conducted December 29-30. It has a margin of error of 3.0%.
