August 15, 2008 10:59 AM
State of the Nation
In the most recent NBC/WSJ survey 74% of Americans said the country is on the wrong track. This is the "highest" wrong track number in the poll's history. A poll taken by NYTimes/CBS about a week earlier found 81% claiming the country was on the wrong track. This was the worst number in the poll's history, with the exception of April of this year when the number was the same.In the same NBC/WSJ survey a plurality (43%) believe the economy will get worse during the next 12 months. 25% see the economy getting better. When asked about their personal financial situation, 18% say they are in good shape, 47% say they are doing okay, and 23% say that they are barely getting by.
Respondents to the NYT/CBS survey say that the economy is fairly (45%) or very (35%) bad. [NBC/WSJ 7/08, NYT/CBS 7/08]
80% of Americans are dissatisfied with the way things are going in the country at the present time. [Gallup 8/08]
When it comes to enunciating what is the most important problem facing the country today (all volunteered), the economy has a place all of its own.
- Economy 38%
- Heating oil/gas crisis 14
- War 10
3.7 million Americans who had full-time jobs now find themselves working only part-time. This is the largest number of such job shifts since the government began tracking this information more than 50 years ago. [NYTimes 7/31/08]
Sometimes you have to wonder whether the government and the governing class are generally focused on the wrong things.
Consider the following:
Nearly 1/4th of U.S. adults work at least 30 hours per week and earn no more than $27,000 per year.
- 52% feel insecure; 50% feel less financially secure than they did a few years ago
- 90% rate the economy negatively; 44% say it is "not so good," and a slightly larger number(46%) rate it as "poor"
- 82% find it difficult to afford transportation or gasoline costs; a similar number cannot afford to save for retirement
- 75% say it has become increasingly difficult to find good jobs
To make ends meet during the past year many have resorted to the following
- 70% minimized the use of electricity
- 62% have taken an extra job or worked extra hours
- 51% postponed medical or dental care
- 50% have taken money out of savings or retirement funds
- 41% borrowed money from friends or relatives
- 27% changed their housing situation
- 26% increased credit card debt
53% think the government should do more "to solve problems and help meet the needs of people." 43% say the government is doing "too many thibetter left to businesses and individuals." [NBC/WSJ 7/08]
Yet, despite all of the above
- 69% describe their feelings about their personal financial as hopeful
- 59% say that when their children are their age their standard of living will be better
[Washington Post/Henry J. Kaiser Foundation/Harvard University, June- July 2008]
What a difference the price of a barrel of oil makes. In mid-July, 52% thought that the price of a gallon of gas in their local area would "increase a lot" by the end of the year. One month later, only 16% have that point of view. Conversely, while in July only 5% thought gas prices would go down, now 37% express that opinion. [Gallup 7/08,8/08]
The Democratic Party is viewed more positively, at 43%, than the Republican Party at 31%. On the flip side, while 37% rate the Democratic Party negatively, 48% rate the Republican Party in that way. [NBC/WSJ 7/08]
When it comes to the economy, the Democratic Party is seen as more likely than the Republican Party to ensure a strong economy by 51% to 31%. [NYT/CBS 7/08]
49% of Americans report experiencing "a lot of happiness and enjoyment with a lot of stress and worry" on the average day. 10% say they experience "daily worry and stress" that overcomes any potential happiness and enjoyment. [Gallup 6/08]
Recent food safety warnings have not seemed to have much of an impact on the average American's confidence that the food supply is generally safe. This is the view of 82% of those surveyed. [Gallup 7/08]
40% view a person more negatively if they smoke, including 7% of smokers. 29% have a negative response to someone who is significantly overweight, including 25% of those who describe themselves as being overweight. [Gallup 7/08]
Over the last 12 years the spread between those who are pro-choice (56%) and those who are pro-life (33%) has dropped 23 points. Today 50% say they are pro-choice, while 44% describe themselves as pro-life, a 6 point spread. The largest part of that change occurred between 1996 and 1998. Since 1998 the spread has ranged from 0 to 10 points. [Gallup 5/08]
The number of folks who disapprove of the job being done by the U.S. Supreme Court has fallen from 62% to 43% in just over a year. 40% of voters think the Court is moving in the wrong direction. [Quinnipiac 7/08]
78% of Americans believe in God, compared to the 8% that expressed that view in 2000. The change has been a relatively straight line during that period. But a greater number believe in a universal spirit (15%) than did so 8 years ago (8%).
86% of those in the South, 83% of those in the Midwest, 80% of those in the East, and 59% of those in the West profess a belief in God. However, the number of westerners who believe in a universal spirit hits 29%, more than double that in any area region. [Gallup 7/08]
