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Like a day at the beach, a backyard barbecue or a cold glass of lemonade, soaring gas prices have become an American summertime tradition. And pollsters, known for obsessive number-crunching and trend-watching, are paying about as much attention to the national average price of gasoline (it's currently about $3.21, by the way) as they are to the president's job approval rating.

A flurry of recent national surveys have shown concern over personal finances rising along with fuel costs. Last week, ABC News/Washington Post pollsters found about nine in 10 Americans were dissatisfied with the price of gasoline, and 57 percent said the higher cost of filling up had caused some degree of financial hardship for their families.

Now those figures are taking a toll on ABC/Post's weekly consumer comfort index, which has fallen to a new low for the year. This week's survey shows a 4-point drop from last week in the number of respondents rating their personal finances positively. Fifty-eight percent deemed their finances excellent or good, compared with 64 percent who rated them positively in February, when the price of gas was about a dollar cheaper.

Despite the pain at the pump, most polls have suggested that Americans won't do much to change their driving habits to accommodate higher prices. As a result, consumers may be reining in spending in other areas. Just 33 percent of ABC/Post respondents said now is a good time to make purchases, compared with 35 percent last week and 39 percent in February. In last week's ABC/Post survey on gas prices, a 43-percent plurality of respondents said they would compensate for higher fuel costs by spending less on other things.

Still Divided On Euthanasia
The public debate over the right to die has largely subsided since Congress weighed in on the Terri Schiavo case two years ago. But the issue seems poised for a comeback, as a Michigan state prison is set to release former euthanasia doctor Jack Kevorkian on parole and California prepares to vote on whether to legalize assisted suicide next week.

In anticipation of these events, a new Associated Press/Ipsos Public Affairs survey probes Americans' attitudes toward the right to die and the man once known as "Dr. Death." The issue is still a divisive one, with 48 percent of Americans favoring the legalization of assisted suicide and 44 percent opposing it.

But despite the polarization on the legal aspect of the issue, more than two-thirds of respondents agreed that "sometimes there are circumstances where a patient should be allowed to die." A slim 53-percent majority said Kevorkian should not have spent the past eight years in prison for helping the terminally ill end their own lives.

The Public Pulse -- Latest Opinions At A Glance
The table below offers the latest key national numbers. Click on the number in question for poll details. (Last updated April 2)

20% Job approval rating.	28% Job approval rating.	19% Give the economy a positive rating.	20% Say country is going in right direction.

The above icons represent (left to right) Congress, President Bush, the economy and the direction of the country.

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