Foreign policy cited as priority

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The approaching presidential election will be the first since the Vietnam era in which foreign policy and national-security issues matter more to the public than the economy, a new poll finds.

Although most Americans think that the United States has less respect in the world than in the past, most also agree that protecting the nation from terrorists is a priority and pre-emptive military force is often or sometimes justified, according the survey released yesterday by the Pew Research Center for the People and the Press and the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR).

"Given the threat of terrorism, many Americans are willing to accept that tough times may require tough action," said Michael Dimock, associate director of Pew.

He noted, however, that this doesn't necessarily mean they support President Bush's handling of Iraq.

The survey, conducted July 8 to 18, finds that 41 percent think war/foreign policy/terrorism is the most important problem facing the nation, with 26 percent choosing the economy.

An analysis by Pew and CFR of Gallup poll findings in the past several decades shows that until 1972, more Americans were concerned about foreign policy and security than the economy, but from 1976 to 2000, the reverse was true.

Kevin Madden, a spokesman for Mr. Bush's campaign, was not surprised by the poll's finding that foreign policy and security has surpassed the economy as top concern.

"It's a reflection of the world we live in," he said, adding that Mr. Bush "will not forget the lessons of September 11" and unlike Democratic presidential nominee Sen. John Kerry, "will not wait until threats become imminent" to act.

Mr. Bush has staked out his re-election on national security and his war on terrorism since the September 11 attacks. Mr. Kerry, while also promising security, continues to hammer away at the state of the economy, thinking that voters are unhappy with the slow rate of jobs being created and will vote on this issue.

According to the Pew/CFR survey, conducted by the Princeton Survey Research Associates International, about as many people favor a decisive foreign policy as favor a cautious foreign policy -- 62 percent and 66 percent respectively.