AARP survey: Economy is top issue for a third of respondents

WAILUKU - Nearly a third of Maui residents more than 50 years old say they would like to see candidates for state offices address the economy as their top issue, according to a survey by AARP.

The survey, released Tuesday, found that 30 percent of older Maui voters said the economy was their most important issue, compared to 27 percent statewide.

Health care was the second biggest issue for Maui AARP members, with 20 percent of survey respondents saying they were concerned about doctor shortages and rising medical costs.

AARP spokesman Bruce Bottoroff said that with his organization representing Americans ages 50 and older, its members made up a significant portion of the work force.

"It's not surprising to see that people are concerned about jobs, are concerned about economic growth, and certainly are concerned about the cost of living and keeping up with those costs," he said.

The organization e-mailed 20,000 of its members in Hawaii. About 1,000 people responded to the survey of which 112 were on Maui. Bottoroff said the poll represented a "pulse survey" meant to evaluate the issues that are most current to AARP members.

"The concerns are focused to some extent on what's topical," Bottoroff said, referring to the economy and health care issues. "If we ask them six months to a year from now, we might see some variations."

Other issues picked by Maui survey respondents included:

* Retirement, with 13 percent saying protecting pensions and the cost of living were top concerns.

* The state budget, with 12 percent saying they want to see the state's budget crisis resolved.

* Education, with 10 percent saying their top priority was seeing funding for education restored.

Statewide, other issues mentioned by people responding to the survey included 18 percent saying they wanted to hear from candidates about civil unions, 16 percent saying they were concerned about the environment, 10 percent saying homelessness was a top issue, 6 percent saying they were concerned about taxes and only 5 percent saying their top concern was taxes.

The survey reinforced the high voter turnout among people older than 50, with 98 percent of respondents saying they planned to vote in 2010.

For more information, visit www.aarp.org/hi.