What Do Americans Worry About? The Real Public Agenda

The following is excerpted from The Center for Media Research and summarizes Gallup data released this week. As you look through the data, note where environment, green, transportation and related issues to our class fall on the public agenda as 'worry' that may translate into policy 'action'.

Article Begins Here - Who, Me Worried?

According to 13 issues Gallup measured in a March poll, summarized by Lydia Saad, 71% of Americans say they worry about the economy "a great deal," more than worry about 13 other issues. 64% worry a great deal about federal spending and the budget deficit. Race relations is the only issue about which the majority of Americans is "only a little" or "not at all" concerned.

Americans' Concerns (% of respondents; Fourteen National Issues)
	Degree of Concern
Issue	Great Deal	Fair Amount	A Little/ None
Economy	71%	22%	7%
Federal spending and budget deficit	64	23	12
Availability and affordability of healthcare	58	25	17
Unemployment	57	27	15
Social Security system	51	26	22
Size & power of federal government	48	24	28
Availability & affordability of energy	46	33	21
Crime and violence	44	30	25
Illegal immigration	42	23	34
Hunger and homelessness	41	34	26
Future terrorist attacks in US	40	29	31
Drug use	40	24	35
Quality of the environment	34	34	31
Race relations	16	28	54
Source: Gallup, March 201

 Gallup has tracked 10 of the 14 items measured this year every year since 2001, except for 2009. Federal spending/the deficit as well as the size and power of the federal government, both hallmark concerns of the national Tea Party movement, are new to the list this year. The "possibility of future terrorist attacks" was added to the list in 2002 and Social Security in 2005.
The availability and affordability of energy is the only issue about which Americans have grown significantly more worried since last year, from 38% to 46%. The current level of concern about this is similar to what it was from 2006 to 2008.

Energy Availability and Affordability Concern (% of Respondents Saying "A Great Deal")
Year	% Who Worry ("A Great Deal)
2001	46%
2001	32
2003	27
2004	35
2005	39
2006	48
2007	43
2008	47
2009	n/a
2010	38
2011	46
Source: Gallup, March 2011

The economy and unemployment are top-ranking concerns for Republicans, independents, and Democrats. Additionally, majorities of Republicans and Democrats are highly worried about Social Security.
Beyond these areas of common concern, however, the parties diverge. Large majorities of Republicans say they worry a great deal about federal spending and the size and power of government, and more than half worry a great deal about immigration. All of these issues are absent from Democrats' top concerns. In contrast, Democrats' top-ranking issue, healthcare,  is not a great concern to most Republicans.
Among the four issues of concern to a majority of independents, the economy and unemployment are issues they have in common with both major parties, while federal spending is primarily a Republican concern and healthcare, a Democratic one.

Top Concerns By Party Affiliation (At least  50% Worried "A Great Deal")
	Republicans		Independents		Democrats
Rank	Issue	Worried	Issue	Worried	Issue	Worried
1	Federal spending	79%	Economy	72%	Healthcare	69%
2	Economy	76	Federal spending	65	Economy	64
3	Size/power of government	62	Healthcare	58	Unemployment	60
4	Unemployment	58	Unemployment	55	Social Security	53
5	Illegal immigration	55
6	Social Security	52
Source: Gallup, March, 2011

 Of note,says the report, women are significantly more likely than men to be worried about healthcare, hunger/homelessness, Social Security, crime, unemployment, the environment, and drug use.
Young adults aged 18 to 34 are significantly less likely than older Americans to be concerned about Social Security and the size and power of the federal government. Young adults are significantly more likely to be concerned about the quality of the environment.
Americans' economic anxiety has not abated over the past year, as 7 in 10 Americans continue to tell Gallup they personally worry a great deal about the economy. This has ranked as Americans' top concern on this measure since 2008. Healthcare led the list from 2002 through 2007 and remains among the top five today.
This year's additions reveal that federal spending and the budget deficit worry Americans nearly as much as the economy. The interesting distinction is that all three party groups worry about the economy, while the deficit concerns far more Republicans and independents than Democrats.
Special note: This year's survey was conducted before a 9.0 magnitude earthquake struck Japan on March 11, launching a series of events that has sparked a nuclear crisis in that country and has raised Americans' concerns about the safety of nuclear power, says Gallup
For more about Gallup measurements and this study, please visit here.