January 13, 2012 12:00 PM
State of the Nation
65% say the country is on the wrong track29% say the economy is getting worse, while 25% say it is getting better 40% think 2012 will be a better year for them and their family
[CBS 1/12]
If the test of economic healing is jobs, there seems to be steady progress.
* The BLS unemployment rate for the month of December 2011 was 8.5%. This is the lowest rate recorded since February of 2009, and is down from 9.4% in December 2011.
[Note: this still vastly undercounts the real unemployment rate. Gallup reports the number of Underemployed -- unemployed and those working part- time that want full-time -- at 18.2%. And even this number does not count those who have stopped looking for a job for more than 4 weeks.]
* There have been 2 years of consecutive employment growth in the manufacturing sector.
* There have been 22 consecutive months of private sector job growth.
* 212,000 private sector jobs were created in December 2011.
* 1,900,000 private sector jobs were created in 2011.
* 280,000 public sector jobs were lost in 2011.
* 1,600,000 net jobs were created in 2011, after accounting for job losses.
[Think Progress War Room 1/12]
40% of Americans now identify themselves as Independents. This is the highest number recorded by Gallup in the last 23 years, but only a point higher than the 39% recorded in 1995 and 2007. 31% now identify as Democrats and 27% as Republicans. However, when Independents who lean to one Party or the other are included with that Party, each Party is identified by 45% of the public as its preference. [Gallup 1/12]
In January, 18% of Americans said they were satisfied with the way things are going in the United States. This is a decent improvement from the 11% satisfaction rate recorded in September. The average for 2011, 17%, is the second lowest average in the 32-year history in which the question has been asked. [Gallup 1/12]
87% of Americans believe this is a bad time to find a good job. Women are slightly more pessimistic than men. Those between the ages of 50-64 and college graduates are the most down about this situation, with 90% of each group saying this is a bad time to find a good job. [Gallup 12/11]
When asked what is the most important problem facing the country today, respondents listed the economy in general as #1, at 31%; the #2 mention was unemployment, at 26%, and #3 was “dissatisfaction with government,” at 15%.
Then, when given an opportunity to express what worries them the most about the national economy, 27% said jobs, 16% said the national debt, and 10% mentioned “continuing economic decline/economic instability.” No other reason was in the double digits.
Those three concerns, in the same order, were noted by Republicans, Independents and Democrats in roughly the same numbers. [Gallup 1/12]
Just over 200 million Americans have high-speed, wired internet access at home. Two-thirds of them receive it from their cable company.
90% of people with incomes above $75,000 have high-speed internet access at home. Only 40% of households with incomes below $25,000 have similar access at home. 72% of white households have this form of internet access, as well as 55% of African-American and Hispanic households.
59% of folks with incomes above $75,000 have smart phones. [NYT 12/4/11]
79% of American adults use the internet and 59% of those users (47% of all adults) connect with at least one social networking site. More than half of social networking site users are over the age of 35.
92% of social network users are on Facebook, 29% are on Myspace, 18% on LinkedIn, and 13% use Twitter.
If you can imagine, 52% of Facebook users are on the site daily, while 33% of Tweeters engage daily.
88% of teens and 69% of adults who use social networking sites report that they have “seen people be mean and cruel to others on these sites.” [Pew]
Over the last 13 years the number of people who say they are better off than their parents were at the same age, has fallen from 74% to 69%. [Gallup 12/11]
38% of Americans say they pay more than their fair share in Federal taxes. This has dropped from 55%, who had that view 8 years ago. But 59% believe that so much is wrong with the overall tax system that Congress should toss the whole thing out and start over. [PEW 12/11]
66% believe there are “strong” conflicts between the wealthy and the poor. This is a 19-point increase from 2 years ago. Those having this view include 55% of Republicans, 66% of Independents, and 74% of Democrats.
People in households with $40-75,000 in income have the strongest feelings, with 71% of them describing a strong conflict. Not surprisingly, among 18-34 year olds, 71% believe there is a strong conflict. [Pew 1/11/12]
39% of the “1%” identify themselves as conservative. This is nearly identical to the 40% of the “99%” who identify as conservative. [Gallup 12/11]
