We have a lot of problems, but I was mildly surprised that health care only scored in at 60 percentile as a matter of high concern to the American people in a Pew Poll, with Medicare at 59%—a sharp decline from previous samples. And this was a surprise: Health insurance was at 52%. From the story:
Of the 20 issues people were asked to rate in both January 2008 and January 2009, five have slipped significantly in importance as attention to the economy has surged. Protecting the environment fell the most precipitously— just 41% rate this as a top priority today, down from 56% a year ago. The percentage rating illegal immigration as a top priority has fallen from 51% to 41% over the past year, and reducing crime has fallen by a similar amount (from 54% to 46%). And while reducing health care costs remains a top priority to 59% of Americans, this is down 10-points from 69% one year ago.The economy and jobs were top, natch, with concerns in the 80s. Terrorism came in at 76%—glad to see people still care, while moral decline a mere 45%: It would have been higher for me. And despite all the hysteria, the common sense of the American people shined through: Global warming came in at only 30%.
