August 12, 2004

Abstract: (CPOD) Aug. 12, 2004 - Financial matters are in the mind of American voters in this election year, according to a poll by YouGov published in The Economist. 34 per cent of respondents say the economy is the most important issue for them.

(CPOD) Aug. 12, 2004 - Financial matters are in the mind of American voters in this election year, according to a poll by YouGov published in The Economist. 34 per cent of respondents say the economy is the most important issue for them.

Official figures from the U.S. Labour Department indicated that the country added 32,000 new jobs in July, the smallest hiring increase since December 2003.

Yesterday in a campaign appearance in New Mexico, Bush referred to a series of proposed reforms aimed at reducing corporate corruption, saying "the message ought to be clear to everybody now that if you don't tell the truth, we're coming after you, to keep the trust."

Health insurance, the war on terrorism and public education were next in the list of concerns, followed by taxes, the war in Iraq, same-sex marriage and the environment.

The U.S. presidential election is scheduled for Nov. 2.

Polling Data

Which of these issues is most important to you personally?

The economy	34%
Health insurance in America	16%
The conduct of the war on terrorism	12%
Public education	7%
Taxes	6%
The conduct of the war in Iraq	4%
Marriage between people of the same sex	4%
The environment	4%
Relations with America's allies around the world	3%
Race relations	2%
The federal budget deficit	2%
Crime	2%

Source: YouGov / The Economist
Methodology: Online interviews to 2,421 American adults, conducted from Aug. 2 to Aug. 4, 2004. Margin of error is 2 per cent.