(Agencies)
Updated: 2007-11-21 20:49

Joseph Lyon, a 22-year-old Republican from Houston, is most troubled by a fear the US will leave Iraq too soon and by immigrants who stream into the US but do not learn English.

"That's ridiculous," said Lyon, who begins serving with the Marines early next year. "They come here to live and expect us to assimilate to them. It's our country."

In Oshkosh, Wis., Jenny Walsh is most concerned about the failure to end the war and what she sees as a growing gap between rich and poor.

"We need change, just something that's completely different," said Walsh, 28, a Democrat and convenience store manager. "It's just slowly going downhill."

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With the limp housing and credit markets dominating recent headlines, financial problems are at the heart of many people's worries. Though three-quarters say they control their financial situation, most say they are having trouble getting ahead, including a third who say that has become very difficult.

"Something's gotten out of synch between what we make and what things cost," said Sandra Dempsey, 47, a child-care provider in Jonesboro, Ga. "Slowly but surely the middle class is becoming the lower class."

In a measure of the two parties' traditional strengths with income classes, people saying they are enjoying good financial times said they are slightly likelier to support next year's Republican presidential candidate over the Democrat. Those saying times are tough are less likely to vote, but back the Democrat by nearly a 2-to-1 margin, though they don't necessarily blame Republicans for their problems.

"We have illegal immigrants coming in, they work for cheaper and that keeps black folks out of jobs," said Charlie Burnette, 56, a mechanic from Durham, N.C.

When it comes to the stressed out, they are as likely to vote Democratic or Republican as are those without such tension in their lives. The same is true for people who generally trust others and those who do not.

While two-thirds said they approve of gambling, overwhelming majorities disapproved of heavy drinking, smoking marijuana, and using cable TV or a neighbor's Internet connection or sharing music or video files without paying. There are scant party differences in most, though Democrats were twice as likely as Republicans to approve of marijuana smoking, and young people are far likelier than their elders to assent to each one.

The online survey of 2,230 adults was conducted November 2-12 and had a margin of sampling error of plus or minus 2.1 percentage points. The survey included 1,049 Democrats, for whom the margin of sampling error was plus or minus 3 percentage points, and 827 Republicans, for whom the margin of sampling error was plus or minus 3.4 percentage points.

This Internet survey uses Knowledge Networks' online panel, which is nationally representative because people are first contacted using traditional telephone polling methods, and then followed with online interviews. People selected for the study who do not already have Internet access are provided with it for free.

 

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