(Week of 9/1/2012) The economy remains the country’s most important issue according to 42% of Americans, and opinions about it are likely to have a big role in determining the results of the November election. Right now, neither party has much of an advantage on it. That is also the case with the public’s judgment on other critical issues. In the latest Economist/YouGov Poll, nearly as many registered voters say they trust the Democrats more to handle the economy as say they trust the Republicans more.
The GOP’s modest advantage on the economy is matched by the Democrats’ modest advantage on Medicare (older adults divide evenly on this). The parties are tied when it comes to handling foreign policy, but few cite that as an important issue. Democrats lead narrowly on Social Security, while Republicans lead on handling the budget deficit (a much more important issue to Republicans than to Democrats).
However, on these items, a fifth or more of registered voters see no difference between the parties or are not sure which they trust more. That’s especially true when it comes to handling the budget deficit: 28% of registered voters pick neither party as better.
Economist/YouGov poll archives can be found here
Photo source: Press Association
