Poll shows Obama leads McCain on economic issues

By JoAnne Allen

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama holds a clear lead over Republican John McCain on economic issues as Americans grow more worried about their financial situations, a new NBC News/Wall Street Journal opinion poll found.

Forty-six percent said Obama would be better at improving the economy, compared with 34 percent who thought McCain would do a better job, according to the poll released on Wednesday.

On the question of dealing with the Wall Street financial crisis, 35 percent said Obama, an Illinois senator, would be best, compared with 30 percent favoring McCain, an Arizona senator.

The poll found the presidential contest remaining tight, with Obama leading McCain by 48 percent to 46 percent, virtually unchanged from an NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll released just after the political conventions earlier this month. In the previous poll, Obama was ahead by 47 percent to 46 percent.

The struggling U.S. economy has emerged as the top issue in the race between Obama and McCain with less than 40 days before the November 4 presidential election.

The latest survey reflected voter anxiety as Congress and the Bush administration negotiate the details of a $700 billion bailout plan for Wall Street.

Nearly 60 percent of those surveyed said they were worried about their financial situations, with 77 percent saying the United States was in recession and 75 percent believing the worst was yet to come.

Fifty-seven percent said economic issues, including job losses, home foreclosures and energy prices, would be the most important factors in choosing the next president.

The NBC News/Wall Street Journal Poll of 1,085 registered voters was conducted Friday through Monday and had an overall margin of error of plus or minus 3 percentage points.

Obama also rated higher on the economy in a Los Angeles Times/Bloomberg National Poll released on Wednesday. In a head-to-head contest, Obama led McCain 49 percent by 45 percent, the poll found.

An ABC News-Washington Post opinion poll released earlier on Wednesday said Obama had climbed to a 52 percent to 43 percent lead over McCain, a survey the McCain camp questioned.

(Editing by Peter Cooney)