Survey – Voters Say U.S. Still in Recession
Despite Reports, Americans Continue to Feel Economic Pain
Oct 27, 2009
Released Sept. 21, 2009, the report, Tracking the Recovery: Big Banks Seen as Big Beneficiaries of Government Economic Policies, is a compilation of survey results from 802 registered voters and was written by Andrea Orr. The report found that the majority of polled voters believes the country remains in a recession. Voters also said the economy and job prospect remains poor.
Voters said the government has helped certain industries, but not the average worker. The breakdown of voters is:
- 62% said large banks were helped
- 54% said Wall Street investment companies were helped
- 13% said the average working person was helped
- 10% said their families were helped
Of those who lost their jobs, 61% of respondents said the government hadn’t helped them at all, and 15% agreed the government helped. Many of those surveys responded they were directly affected by mass job losses.
High Unemployment Tops Economy’s Problems
Survey respondents said unemployment and a lack of jobs is the most important economic problem facing the country today. About half of those surveyed answered that a lack of jobs was important. That’s compared to 12% who think the problems with the banking system are the most important. The numbers are split about equally among Democrats, Republicans and Independents (58%, 51% and 46%, respectively).
About a quarter of respondents believe the cost of health care is an important issue. They argued that if they can’t pay for health care, they wouldn’t go to the doctor when necessary, which could lead to their death.
In addition, more than 60% say unemployment will continue to be a big problem in 2010. Economists have announced the country is close to being out of the recession. These reports are in contrast to what voters believe.
Recession Hits Home for Americans
According to Orr, Americans feel this recession personally. More than half of voters said they are close to someone who has been laid off. Another 61% said they know someone with hours or pay cuts. And less than half of U.S. households have experienced one or the other within the last 12 months. These statistics are true for all income levels, from under $50,000 to more than $100,000.
Another problem the report addressed is stagnant wages. Americans are worried that wages will not increase even if the economy improves. About 63% of respondents say stagnant wages are a big problem going into 2010.
Voters and economists seem to be in disconnected on what they believe is happening with the economy. According to EPI information, voters are still worried about the economy while economists argue the country is improving.
 |
