1. The economy is an abiding issue in the minds of Americans. Explicit top-of-mind concern about the economy waxes and wanes depending on the current economic indicators and the presence of other high visibility problems, but is always important when the public is asked about it specifically. Along with national security, keeping the economy on solid footing can be considered one of the basic requirements of elected representatives. 2. Americans tend to view the U.S. economy through the prism of jobs. Americans say maintaining the availability of good jobs is the No. 1 thing they would recommend to improve the economy. Statistical research shows that the public’s evaluation of the jobs situation has the strongest relationship to evaluation of the overall economy. 3. As of early 2007, less than half of Americans say now is a good time to be looking for a quality job. This is up from the low points of 2003, but lower than the boom years of the late 1990s. 4. American concern about the economy as a top-of-mind issue remained relatively low so far in 2007, perhaps in large part because the war in Iraq is such a dominant concern. 5. […]