Majorities said the press should almost always report spouse abuse, income tax evasion, and lies about military service and academic records. But most people also said that a past extramarital affair, marijuana use as a young adult, the use of anti-depressants, or a female candidate's abortion should not be covered by the media. Pluralities said that a presidential candidate's homosexuality or past cocaine use should almost never be reported. In the current poll, the importance of a candidate's honesty is stressed across the board. Although the public considers learning about presidential candidates' personal qualities such as honesty and the ability to connect with average people as critical, it continues to say that news organizations should devote the most attention to candidates' stands on issues.
Women place more emphasis on the issues than men.
Despite the importance voters place on issues, no single issue currently dominates the public agenda. When asked what one issue should be the next president's top priority, nearly equal percentages of Americans choose shoring up Social Security and Medicare, keeping the economy strong and improving the educational system. Next in line are dealing with the nation's moral breakdown and improving the health care system. Americans give less priority to preventing the spread of weapons of mass destruction, dealing with the problems of the poor and needy, dealing with taxes, and reducing crime. In the past, single issues have more clearly dominated the public's agenda.