While everybody is focusing on the debt ceiling and the Gang of Six, the US Economy is still facing big problems, and people don’t really care about the debt ceiling, as they have no jobs. Gallup reports,
Americans name the economy and unemployment/jobs as the most important problems facing the nation, as they have all year, despite the dominant focus in Washington on the federal debt ceiling. The deficit comes in third as the top problem, followed by dissatisfaction with government in general, healthcare, and concerns about wars.
Overall, 74% of Americans in Gallup’s July 7-10 update mention some aspect of the economy as the nation’s top problem, while 42% mention some non-economic concern — proportions roughly on par with most months so far this year.
The economy, unemployment/jobs, and the federal deficit/debt are the top three specific problems Americans have mentioned since March, although to varying degrees. The current 16% mention of the deficit/debt is up slightly from May and June, but essentially the same as April’s 17%.
Meanwhile, the percentage of Americans naming jobs as the top problem has been on the rise since the recent low point in April of this year, increasing eight percentage points between then and now, and is back to where it was in March.
The percentage of Americans mentioning gas prices as the top problem peaked at a relatively low 8% in May, despite the rise in gas prices this year to $4 a gallon or more in some places. In June 2008, when gas prices also spiked, the percentage mentioning them as the top problem rose to 25%.
Mentions of healthcare have been lower over the last five months — remaining in the single digits — after reaching 16% in February. Mentions of dissatisfaction with government have been slightly lower in the past three months than earlier this year.
Almost 9 in 10 Say Now Is Not Good Time to Find Quality Job
Americans’ emphasis on the economy and jobs as the top problem facing the nation is underscored by their responses to a separate monthly question from Gallup that asks if now is a “good time or a bad time to find a quality job.”
Ten percent of Americans in July say now is a good time to find a quality job, leaving 88% who say it is not — the highest since last October, and within two points of the all-time high of 90% reached several times in the last three years. Four years ago, in July 2007, 50% said it was not a good time to find a quality job, while 43% said it was.
Bottom Line
Americans continue to believe the economy and unemployment/jobs are the nation’s top problems, with the deficit/debt situation in third place. More generally, about three-quarters of Americans say some aspect of the economy is the top problem facing the nation, far more than mention non-economic concerns such as dissatisfaction with government, healthcare, wars, immigration, or education.
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