US / Election 2012 Economy No. 1 Concern for 60% of Voters Americans generally split on ObamaCare By Kate Seamons, Newser Staff Posted Nov 6, 2012 4:49 PM CST Copied Voters wait in line Tuesday, Nov. 6, 2012 in the Sun Valley section of Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes) Not a huge surprise here: Initial results from the AP's exit poll show that six out of 10 voters feel the economy is the No. 1 issue facing the US today. That's basically unchanged from 2008, when 62% of voters said the same thing. Other preliminary findings: Which issues also made the list? Health care (18%), the deficit (15%), foreign policy (4%). So if the economy is the biggest issue, what's the biggest economic problem voters are grappling with? Almost 40% said unemployment, and nearly the same amount said rising prices. Taxes and housing joined the list, though they lagged far behind. About 50% of voters place more blame for the country's economic state on George W. Bush than President Obama. Which candidate do voters think is more in touch with "people like them?" Obama takes that one, 52% to 44%. So what candidate quality mattered most as voters cast their ballot? Just under one-third cited vision for the future; about the same number said sharing their values. Just under 50% of voters would like to see all or part of ObamaCare repealed; 43% would like it to stand, or even be expanded. Only 30% of voters want to see illegal immigrants working in the US deported. Nearly two-thirds said such people should be offered a chance to apply for legal status. (More Election 2012 stories.) Report an error