Nearly three-quarters of Americans believe the U.S. economy is now in a recession, according to a CNN/Opinion Research poll conducted March 14-16. The margin of error is 4.5 percent. The 74 percent who expressed that view compares to 66 percent last month, 61 percent in January and 46 percent in October. Of those, 29 percent say the U.S. is in a “serious” recession and half believe it will last more than a year. The number of Americans who now call the economy the top issue in the campaign also increased markedly and now stands at 42 percent, almost double the October figure. It is followed by Iraq at 21 percent and health care at 18 percent.

Gallup’s daily tracking poll, conducted during the same period, says 42 percent of Americans describe the economy as “poor,” the highest percentage so far this year.

For other recent polling on the economy, click here.