Stock market, tax rates rank low as top economic concerns compared to employment

The state of the stock market and tax rates rank low on Americans’ list of economic concerns compared to employment, a new poll released Monday found.

36 percent of Americans said in a CNN/Opinion Research poll that unemployment is the most important economic issue facing the country. 20 percent said they are concerned about inflation, followed by 16 percent for the mortgage crisis, 14 percent for the stock market, and 11 percent for taxes.

The poll indicates that two of the more politicized issues in the economic downturn rank low on Americans’ priority list. Some Republicans have said that the stock market has tumbled when the Obama administration is most active on the economy, and many conservatives have called for lower taxes — rather than more spending — as a method to stimulate the economy.

The economy, meanwhile, is Americans’ top issue. 63 percent of those surveyed said the economy topped their lists of concerns. Nine percent of Americans said they were concerned about healthcare, and eight percent said they worried about the budget deficit.

The survey, conducted March 12-15, has a three percent margin of error.