Issues of Importance to Voters

…by Toni Johnson, of the Council on Foreign Relations

Issues of Importance to Voters

Exit polling of Republican and Democratic voters in most states shows the economy far outweighs any other single issue (CQPolitics). After that comes concerns over national security, which lump together terrorism and the Iraq war, followed usually by domestic issues like healthcare. Where people live and what party they belong to affects second- and third-ranked choices in polls published by CNN and McClatchy. In surveys that took place in states voting through the May 6 primaries, the top three issues (CNN) break down for Republicans as follows: the economy followed by national security/Iraq/terrorism or immigration depending on the poll and the state. For Democrats, CNN polling data shows overwhelming concern about the economy followed by Iraq and then healthcare. Andrew Kohut of the Pew Research Center points to wide partisan divides between Democrats and Republicans over U.S. troop deployments in Iraq and issues such as domestic surveillance of suspected terrorists. But he adds: “The public is far less clear as to what it wants with respect to foreign policy.”

The Economy and Globalization

Although the economy is often treated by analysts as purely a domestic issue, voters and politicians have used it to have a discussion on trade and globalization, especially in traditional manufacturing states expected to be battlegrounds in November. Some experts say soundings from the campaign trail show protectionist sentiment is spreading. For example, a December 2007 Pew Research Center for the People and the Press poll found that close to half the voters in South Carolina, Iowa and New Hampshire rated free-trade agreements as “a bad thing” on both the Democratic and Republican sides a month before their primaries. The Pew poll also noted that those numbers were consistent with views shown in national polls. Some analysts believe the backlash against free trade and globalization helps Democratic candidates who prefer “fair trade,” which amounts to trade with conditions attached, such as mandating labor and wage standards (Fortune).

The complete article is here.