Deficit lags as a top concern, Pew finds

McClatchy reports:

The year's big budget news may be past.

A new Pew Research Center survey found that for the first time in President Barack Obama's five years in office, "deficit reduction has slipped as a policy priority among the public."

Sixty-three percent said reducing the deficit should be a top congressional and White House priority, down from 72 percent a year ago.

The issue may be quiet for awhile. Congress passed a two-year budget plan, and deficits have been falling.

Other issues dominate Pew's annual policy priorities survey, conducted Jan. 15-19.

The public most wants action on the economy (80 percent), jobs (74 percent) and terrorism (73 percent).