Social Security, joblessness top economic concerns for Americans

WASHINGTON (AP):

Finally, something that polarized Americans can agree on.

Ask people what economic issues will be important for the next president, and Democrats, Republicans and independents alike all put a high priority on protecting Social Security and reducing unemployment.

Beyond that, though, their lists of top economic concerns for the next president are more fractured, according to a poll conducted by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research.

Democrats attach far more importance than do Republicans to narrowing the gap between rich and poor, reducing poverty and increasing wages to keep up with the cost of living.

Republicans, in turn, place more far importance than do Democrats on shrinking the federal deficit, reducing government regulation and reforming welfare.

So, while Americans of all stripes consistently put the economy at or near the top of their lists of most important issues, they may have very different concerns in mind when they do so.