Poll: Economy tops Obama's priority list

PRINCETON, N.J., Oct. 28 (UPI) -- Americans rank the U.S. economy No. 1 of five priorities fighting for President Obama's attention, results of a Gallup Poll released Wednesday indicated.

Four in 10 poll respondents listed the economy as the top priority for Obama, down from 64 percent in a poll taken just after Obama was elected last November, Gallup reported.

Eighteen percent of the respondents said the situations in Iraq and Afghanistan should be Obama's top priority as president, results indicated. Healthcare, barely a blip on the radar last fall, should be Obama's priority for 17 percent of respondents.

For 14 percent, the federal budget deficit should be the top issue for Obama, while 2 percent said energy issues should occupy the top spot, the Princeton, N.J., polling agency said.

Equal percentages of Republicans and Democrats -- 40 percent -- name the economy as the top priority for Obama. However, 30 percent of Democrats and 10 percent of Republicans said healthcare was the top issue.

Results are based on national telephone interviews with 1,521 conducted Oct. 16-19. Results based on the total sample have a margin of error of 3 percentage points.