Voters now trust Republicans more than Democrats on nine out of 10 key issues regularly tracked by Rasmussen Reports.

But the latest national survey finds that the two major political parties are much closer this month on the top issue of the economy. Forty-six percent (46%) of voters trust the GOP more on economic issues, while 42% trust Democrats more. Another 12% are undecided. Last month, Republicans held an 11-point edge on the issue and had a 12-point lead in November.

In fact, the latest results mark the highest level of trust in Democrats on economic issues since last May.

Among voters nationwide, 81% see the economy as a very important issue.

Among voters not affiliated with either party, Republicans lead 45% to 32% on economic issues over Democrats. Mainstream voters heavily favor the GOP on economic issues, 58% to 28%. Those in the Political Class trust Democrats more, 84% to 16%.

The plurality of voters (37%) still doesn’t know which party to trust more on government ethics and corruption, an issue voters place second in terms of importance. Democrats now hold a small 33% to 30% edge on the issue, after the parties were tied in January.

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Republicans hold double-digit leads over Democrats in terms of trust on the issues of taxes, health care, Social Security, immigration and abortion. In January, Republicans held just a three-point lead on health care.

Forty-six percent (46%) of voters favor a tax cut for all Americans, while 35% are opposed. Forty-one percent (41%) prefer a budget deficit with tax cuts over a balanced budget that requires higher taxes, but 36% favor the opposite approach.

On national security, Republicans are trusted more by a 49% to 40% margin after leading by 17 points in January. This marks the first poll to show Republicans earning less than 50% of voters’ trust on the issue since August of last year.

Recent polling shows that voter confidence in U.S. efforts in the War on Terror is near its lowest level in recent years. Only 36% of voters say the United States is safer today than it was before the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, marking the lowest level of confidence since Rasmussen polling first asked the question in 2002.

Republicans hold a nine-point lead in terms of trust on the handling of the war in Iraq, down from 15 points in January.

The GOP also holds a 40% to 36% lead on education this month.

Republican candidates lead Democrats by seven points in the latest edition of the Generic Congressional Ballot. The GOP has held the lead on the ballot for several months now.

In January, the number of Americans identifying themselves as Democrats fell another tenth-of-a-percentage point to the lowest level recorded in more than seven years of monthly tracking by Rasmussen Reports. The number of Republicans is down, too. The number of adults not affiliated with either major party is up to 32.3%, the highest level since the summer of 2007.

Currently, 36% of voters give President Obama good or excellent marks on his handling of economic issues, while 44% give him a poor rating.

Separate polling shows that voters reject the theory of 20th Century economist John Maynard Keynes that it’s best to increase deficit spending in tough economic times. Fifty-nine percent (59%) think increasing the deficit at this time would hurt the economy rather than help.

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See survey questions and toplines. Crosstabs for Trust on Issues I or Trust on Issues II are available to Premium Members.