Gallup: Economic worries highest in a year

The Gallup poll found that 72 percent of Americans found some part of the economy to be the country’s most pressing problem — with the economy in general (28 percent), unemployment (26 percent), deficits (13 percent), gas prices (6 percent) and lack of money (4 percent) ranking as the top five issues.

The last time the economy ranked so high, Gallup says, was February 2010. The highest net mention of the economy Gallup ever recorded was 86 percent, in February 2009.

The polling company also released figures this week showing that a full 50 percent of Americans expect gas prices to rise at least 75 cents this year, with prices already hitting an average of around $3.50 a gallon.

But Gallup also noted that in April 2008 — around the time prices first hit an average of $3.50 a gallon — 17 percent of Americans found fuel prices most troubling, as opposed to 6 percent now. 

In last month’s Gallup readings, Americans were most concerned about employment, with the 35 percent calling that the most pressing problem — the highest in almost three decades. This month’s 26 percent figure falls back in line with what Gallup found in December and January. 

The polling outfit’s latest numbers come from a March 3-6 poll.