What's important in 2018? Health care, the economy, immigration

Seventy-nine percent of the population says that health care and the economy and jobs are either the most important issue or a very important, but not the most important issue. Health care wins the award for "most important" with a quarter saying so.

Immigration comes next at 70% saying it is the most or a very important issue for a candidate to talk about during their campaign. That number for immigration has increased by seven points since only April of this year, the most recent Kaiser tracking poll.

That makes sense as immigration was a top issue in the national conversation during the time the interviews were conducted (June 11-20) with the controversy surrounding a policy that criminalizes undocumented immigrants, causing separation of families in the US system.

Democrats are much more likely than Republicans and independents to say health care and gun policy are "the most important issue" for 2018 candidates to talk about -- with 33% saying health care and 30% saying gun policy. Independents have health care as their top issue, but at a lower percentage than Democrats (26%). The economy and jobs follow for independents at 22%.

Republicans' top issue is the economy and jobs, well over the other issues at 27%, with immigration in second at 19%.

While health care and the economy and jobs retain their number one and two spots when looking at only the most important issue for candidates to talk about, immigration is bumped from number three by gun policy. Two-in-ten respondents say that gun policy is the most important issue for them, with 19% saying the same of immigration.