A new Bloomberg poll, taken after the attacks in Paris, shows a sharp spike in Americans’ concerns about terrorism in general and the Islamic State in particular.
Twenty-one percent say the Islamic State is the most important issue facing the country right now, with an additional 14 percent saying terrorism is the most important issue — for a total of 35 percent. By way of comparison, 11 percent say unemployment and jobs, 14 percent say a decline in real income and three percent say taxes — for a total of 28 percent who say economic topics are the most important issue facing the country. For a long time, polls have consistently shown jobs and the economy as the voters’ top concern. So the balance between the two topics — economic issues and terrorism/national security — has changed, at least for the moment.
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