Poll: Reducing deficit and corruption among top priorities for next president

{mosads}Meanwhile, some of President Obama’s priorities languished near the bottom of the list. Less than half of those surveyed said increasing taxes on the wealthiest Americans was very important, and only 52 percent said the same about dealing with environmental concerns.

Unsurprisingly, Obama and Romney voters split significantly on how they prioritized major issues. The president’s backers were more likely to identify healthcare as a priority by a 29 percent margin, and favor dealing with environmental concerns, increasing taxes on wealthy Americans or improving schools by at least 20-point gaps.

Romney supporters, meanwhile, are likely to prioritize the budget deficit, moral standards and dealing with international threats at a higher clip.

The only priority where Democrats and Republicans were in perfect unity: the importance of creating good jobs.

“The candidate who Americans think has the better plans on each of these issues will have an advantage,” said Gallup’s Jeffrey Jones in a statement. “As of now, Americans believe Romney is better able to handle jobs and the deficit than Obama is. Still, the two candidates remain locked in a tight race, with voters’ presidential preferences evenly divided.”

The poll had a margin of error of plus or minus 4 percentage points.