Poll: Contraceptive Policy Last on Voters' Lists

Voters put federal contraceptive policy at the bottom of a list of issues offered to respondents in a Gallup poll released this week.

The registered voters were asked to rank healthcare, unemployment, the federal budget deficit and national debt, international issues such as defense and terrorism, gas prices, and government policies concerning birth control as extremely important, very important, somewhat important, not important or no opinion.

Birth control ranked as 27 percent “not important,” while all the other issues had 3-7 percent responses in that category.

The most “extremely important” issue was the deficit, with 44 percent. Only 20 percent ranked birth control as extremely important.

In total, 44 percent of voters indicated that birth control will be extremely or very important to their vote is paltry compared to the 73 to 80 percent reflecting that level of sentiment for the five other issues.

In that 44 percent, 57 percent identified as Democrats and 40 percent Republican. Still, among Democrats it was the lowest-ranked issue.

When asked if they agreed with a candidate’s views on birth control, 28 percent said they agreed with Obama, 12 percent agreed with Mitt Romney and 13 percent agreed with Rick Santorum.