What do you think is the most important issue our country is facing?

Jobs? Taxes? Health care?

Now, is this something you can talk to your neighbor about without getting angry?

Most of the time, the answer to this question is: No!

A recent poll shows that the issues Akron-Canton area adults point to as most important can be tough to talk about. More than half of those surveyed said discussions of health care, jobs and government spending/taxes were very likely to spark heated discussions.

This might help explain why civility can be so difficult.

For most people, its harder when they feel strongly about an issue, said John Green, director of the University of Akrons Bliss Institute of Applied Politics. I do think those priorities and the fact they perceive they can cause heated discussions are very likely related.

The Center for Marketing and Opinion Research in Akron recently conducted a poll that asked 600 randomly selected adults in the five-county Akron-Canton area their thoughts about civility and politics. The topics included what issues they think are most important, which issues are likely to promote heated discussions and what can be done to improve political conversations. The margin of error was plus or minus 4 percentage points.

The poll was funded by the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation and is part of a joint civility project launched by the Bliss Institute, the Beacon Journal and the faith community, aimed at changing the way people talk about tough issues.

Bliss and the Beacon Journal also conducted four weeks of focus groups to get a better understanding of the high level of anxiety in the country. Two Mad as Hell focus groups, one with younger adults and another with older adults, further probed the civility issues explored in the poll.

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Poll shows health care, jobs, economy and government stir heated discussions