Social Concerns

THERE ARE SIGNIFICANT differences between the two major political parties over social concerns. Within the Republican Party there are factions concerned with economic issues, while in the Democratic Party many social issues split the group. Often these issues mirror the concerns of the general electorate and, as such, issues can serve as major campaign issues, especially during presidential campaigns. Fortunately, researchers such as the Pew Center for the People and the Press conduct surveys pertaining to social issues and concerns and provide statistics related to voting behaviors.

As has been the pattern since 2001, Americans feel that protecting the country against another terrorist attack ranks as the most important social concern issue. Over 80 percent of those surveyed indicated that they felt a terrorist attack was imminent. Yet, in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, more than 57 percent said it was more important for President Bush and Congress to focus on domestic issues than foreign policy issues such as terrorism and the war in Iraq.

Approaching the 2008 election campaign, specific domestic priorities seem to be more important than others: dealing with the nation's energy crisis (up 11 percent from 2005), reducing crime (up nine percent); protecting the environment (up eight percent) followed by regulating health maintenance organizations (up six percent) and dealing with morality issues (up six percent). When asked, most Americans feel very optimistic about the economy, noting that they feel the economy will not get better or worse, and for that they are cautiously optimistic. When asked to specifically identify key social concerns as they pertain to the economy, the following very big/big problems: [Page 746]gasoline prices (82 percent), home heating prices (87 percent), healthcare affordability (90 percent), federal budget deficit (11 percent), retirement affordability (75 percent), job situation (70 percent), housing prices (65 percent), inflation (61 percent), and interest rates (48 percent). Economic issues at the personal level are also intriguing: eight percent of Americans surveyed indicated that they owed a lot more than they could handle, and 15 percent a little more than they can handle on credit cards and other loans. Most note that the debt they carry is manageable, while surprisingly, 21 percent say they have no debt at all. Democrats list these issues as very big problems, more frequently than Republicans or moderates.