Americans think worst of 2008 oil spike over: poll

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Most Americans think that the worst of the fuel price spike that pushed gasoline above $4 per gallon has passed, but they have little hope that the housing market will stage a swift recovery, according to a Reuters/Zogby poll released on Wednesday.

The economy has jumped to the top of voters’ concerns this election year, eclipsing the Iraq War, and that has put the housing bust and rising inflation squarely in the spotlight.

The poll of 1,089 likely voters found that just under 13 percent thought gasoline prices would rise a lot between now and the end of the year. About one quarter thought prices would rise a little, while one in three thought they would drop a little and 18 percent said they would stay about the same.

Reuters