Improving healthcare for U.S. veterans is Americans’ top legislative priority for Washington to focus on, out of nine issues now or recently in the national spotlight. Nearly nine out of 10 Americans say it is “extremely” (41%) or “very important” (46%) that the president and Congress deal with veterans’ healthcare […] Read more »
Is Global Warming Real? Most Americans Say Yes
The Obama administration is expected to announce new regulations Monday meant to reduce carbon emissions and combat climate change. What do Americans believe about climate change, and how have those beliefs changed? Our overview follows. CONT. Allison Kopicki, New York Times Recent polls: Environment | Energy | Priorities Read more »
Republicans Have Edge on Top Election Issue: the Economy
American voters rate the economy as the most important issue to their vote for Congress this year, and give the Republicans in Congress a slight edge over the Democrats as best able to handle it. Voters give four other issues lower, but still above-average, importance — the federal deficit, taxes, […] Read more »
Jobs, Government, and Economy Remain Top U.S. Problems
Twenty percent of Americans name unemployment or jobs as the most important problem facing the country in May, up from 14% who mentioned these issues in April. Dysfunctional government (19%) and the economy in general (17%) also rank among the top problems. CONT. Rebecca Riffkin, Gallup Read more »
Policymakers are ignoring us, but no more than usual
… My new book, Artists of the Possible, will offer little solace to those concerned with the public’s absence from public policy. I find a policy process driven by experienced insiders and behind-the-scenes deal making with little room for public input. Policy history, however, does challenge the claim that the […] Read more »
Will Americans Ever See the 1980s and Late 1990s Again?
Two periods of time in recent decades have marked a “boom” in the nation’s economic cycle. Those were the “Morning in America” Reagan years and the dot-com boom of the later Clinton years. … The last five or so years — within the recent memory of almost everyone now reading […] Read more »