Only 30percentt of the voters deemed global warming to be "a top priority," compared with 35percentt in 2008.
Perhaps surprisingly, the economists rated trade low in priority compared with the other issues listed.
For example, 68percentt of those in Medicare feel that their own interests are the priority, compared with only 48percentt of those enrolled in private insurance.
Nearly half of African-Americans believe expanding broadband access should be a top government priority, compared with just under two-fifths of whites.
In that survey, 45 percent said they would make gun control a priority, compared with 49 percent who said they would favor gun rights.
"Protecting the environment," which had surged in the rankings from 2006 to 2008, dropped even more precipitously in the poll: only 41percentt of voters called it a top priority, compared with 56percentt last year.
(In an August poll by the Kaiser Family Foundation, 58percentt of those questioned said Mr. Obama was the presidential candidate more likely to make health care a priority, compared with 20percentt for Mr. McCain).
Interest in education has only escalated since; even among the conservative delegates at the Republican convention, a quarter named education as a top priority, compared with 2percentt in 1996.
The latest Pew poll shows that roughly six in ten Americans want politicians to make helping the poor and needy a top priority, compared with just one in four who want to give a high priority to banning gay marriage.
Yet a survey of 329 corporate-travel managers and business travellers published in February by the Association of Corporate Travel Executives found that only 17% of them now ranked environmental sustainability as a high priority, compared with 29% a year ago.
