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Poll shows small glimmers of optimism by Americans on economy
The latest Harris Poll on the economy finds some small glimmers of optimism on the overall economy; less on employment. Three in 10 Americans (31 percent) give President Obama positive ratings on his handling of the economy while 69% give him negative ratings. Last month, one-quarter of U.S. adults (27%) gave the President positive marks while 73% gave him negative ratings on the economy.
These are some of the results of The Harris Poll of 2,151 adults surveyed online between November 8 and 15, 2010 by Harris Interactive.
Other interesting findings include:
- Looking ahead to the coming year, one-third of Americans (34%) expect the economy to improve while 41% say it will stay the same and one-quarter (25%) believe it will get worse. In October, three in 10 U.S. adults both believed the economy would improve in the coming year (30%) and get worse (30%) while four in ten (40%) thought it would stay the same;
- When it comes to the state of the job market, just one in ten Americans (11%) believe the job market in their region of the country is good while 23% say it is neither good nor bad and two-thirds (66%) believe it is bad. Last month, 13% of U.S. adults thought the job market was good while 66% thought it was bad;
- Different regions of the country have slightly different views on the job market. Things seem "best" in the South where 14% say the job market is good and 62% believe it is bad. In the Midwest, 12% say it is good, but 70% believe the job market is bad;
- There is a sense of optimism looking forward for the job market as three in ten (30%) believe the job market will be better over the next six months, up from 23% who said this in October. Half of Americans (50%) say the job market will stay the same and 21% believe it will get worse over the next six months;
- One in 10 Americans (10%) believe the job market has already started growing, up from 7% who said this in October, while 11% say it will start growing in the next six months. One in five U.S. adults (22%) believe the job market will start growing between six and 12 months from now but two in five (41%) say it will not be for another year or longer; and,
- One question is if the government even has the power to create jobs—almost two-thirds of Americans (65%) say it does while one-quarter (27%) disagrees. Democrats are more likely than both Independents and Republicans to agree that the government has the power to create jobs (77% vs. 62% and 52%).
So What?
While the signs of optimism are slight, they are detectable when Americans discuss the economy. Some of this may be due to the general sense of optimism many have during the holiday season, or possibly due to the hope that the results of the recent election will produce the change that the public demands. Regardless of the reason, the fact is the optimism will not last if there is nothing to sustain it. President Obama and the new Republican leaders in the House of Representatives will need to work together to not only show people they can, but also to produce results. Otherwise, the pessimism will definitely return.
TABLE 1
PRESIDENT OBAMA'S JOB RATING ON THE ECONOMY - TREND
"Now, turning to something different, how would you rate the overall job that President Barack Obama is doing on the economy?"
Base: All adults
|
2009 |
|||||||||
|
March |
April |
May |
June |
Aug |
Sept |
Nov |
Dec |
||
|
% |
% |
% |
% |
% |
% |
% |
% |
||
|
POSITIVE (NET) |
47 |
49 |
46 |
43 |
39 |
40 |
34 |
36 |
|
|
Excellent |
13 |
13 |
10 |
3 |
9 |
7 |
6 |
6 |
|
|
Pretty good |
34 |
36 |
36 |
34 |
31 |
33 |
27 |
30 |
|
|
NEGATIVE (NET) |
53 |
51 |
54 |
57 |
61 |
60 |
66 |
64 |
|
|
Only fair |
30 |
27 |
30 |
27 |
25 |
27 |
30 |
30 |
|
|
Poor |
23 |
24 |
24 |
30 |
36 |
33 |
37 |
34 |
|
|
2010 |
||||||||||
|
Jan |
March |
April |
May |
June |
Aug |
Sept |
Oct |
Nov |
||
|
% |
% |
% |
% |
% |
% |
% |
% |
% |
||
|
POSITIVE (NET) |
31 |
32 |
33 |
36 |
32 |
32 |
29 |
27 |
31 |
|
|
Excellent |
5 |
5 |
6 |
6 |
5 |
6 |
5 |
5 |
5 |
|
|
Pretty good |
25 |
27 |
27 |
30 |
27 |
26 |
24 |
22 |
26 |
|
|
NEGATIVE (NET) |
69 |
68 |
67 |
64 |
68 |
68 |
71 |
73 |
69 |
|
|
Only fair |
31 |
30 |
31 |
29 |
32 |
29 |
31 |
33 |
30 |
|
|
Poor |
39 |
37 |
36 |
34 |
37 |
39 |
40 |
39 |
39 |
|
|
N ote: Percentages may not add up exactly to 100% due to rounding. |
||||||||||
TABLE 2
EXPECTATIONS FOR THE ECONOMY IN THE COMING YEAR - TREND
"In the coming year, do you expect the economy to…?"
Base: All adults
|
2009 |
2010 |
|||||||||||
|
April |
May |
Aug |
Sept |
Oct |
May |
June |
Aug |
Sept |
Oct |
Nov |
||
|
% |
% |
% |
% |
% |
% |
% |
% |
% |
% |
% |
||
|
Improve |
39 |
38 |
46 |
40 |
34 |
38 |
30 |
29 |
28 |
30 |
34 |
|
|
Stay the same |
35 |
35 |
32 |
36 |
37 |
34 |
42 |
39 |
40 |
40 |
41 |
|
|
Get worse |
26 |
27 |
22 |
24 |
29 |
28 |
28 |
32 |
32 |
30 |
25 |
|
|
Note: Percentages may not add up exactly to 100% due to rounding |
||||||||||||
TABLE 3
RATING OF CURRENT JOB MARKET - TREND
"How would you rate the current job market of your region of the nation?"
Base: All adults
|
2008 |
2009 |
||||||||||
|
June |
July |
Jan |
April |
June |
Aug |
Sept |
Oct |
Nov |
Dec |
||
|
% |
% |
% |
% |
% |
% |
% |
% |
% |
% |
||
|
GOOD (NET) |
28 |
30 |
6 |
12 |
9 |
8 |
10 |
10 |
8 |
9 |
|
|
Neither good nor bad |
18 |
19 |
18 |
20 |
19 |
21 |
22 |
20 |
18 |
19 |
|
|
BAD (NET) |
53 |
51 |
76 |
68 |
72 |
71 |
68 |
70 |
73 |
72 |
|
|
2010 |
||||||||||
|
Jan |
Mar. |
April |
May |
June |
Aug |
Sept |
Oct |
Nov |
||
|
% |
% |
% |
% |
% |
% |
% |
% |
% |
||
|
GOOD (NET) |
10 |
8 |
10 |
12 |
10 |
12 |
10 |
13 |
11 |
|
|
Neither good nor bad |
20 |
18 |
21 |
20 |
25 |
22 |
21 |
21 |
23 |
|
|
BAD (NET) |
70 |
73 |
70 |
68 |
66 |
66 |
69 |
66 |
66 |
|
|
Note: Percentages may not add to 100% due to rounding |
||||||||||
TABLE 4
RATING OF CURRENT JOB MARKET IN YOUR REGION – BY REGION
"How would you rate the current job market of your region of the nation?"
Base: All adults
|
Total |
Region |
|||||
|
East |
Midwest |
South |
West |
|||
|
% |
% |
% |
% |
% |
||
|
GOOD (NET) |
11 |
10 |
12 |
14 |
8 |
|
|
Very good |
1 |
1 |
* |
1 |
1 |
|
|
Somewhat good |
10 |
9 |
12 |
13 |
6 |
|
|
Neither good nor bad |
23 |
23 |
18 |
23 |
25 |
|
|
BAD (NET) |
66 |
67 |
70 |
62 |
68 |
|
|
Somewhat bad |
38 |
40 |
40 |
40 |
32 |
|
|
Very bad |
28 |
27 |
29 |
23 |
35 |
|
|
Note: Percentages may not add to 100% due to rounding; * indicates less than 0.5% |
||||||
TABLE 5
EXPECTATIONS FOR JOB MARKET IN SIX MONTHS – TREND
"How do you think that the job market in your region of the nation will change over the next 6 months?"
Base: All adults
|
Jan. 2009 |
April 2009 |
June 2009 |
August 2009 |
June 2010 |
Aug 2010 |
Sept 2010 |
Oct 2010 |
Nov 2010 |
||
|
% |
% |
% |
% |
% |
% |
% |
% |
% |
||
|
BETTER (NET) |
15 |
23 |
21 |
28 |
26 |
23 |
21 |
23 |
30 |
|
|
Will be much better |
1 |
3 |
2 |
2 |
1 |
2 |
2 |
3 |
2 |
|
|
Will be somewhat better |
14 |
20 |
19 |
26 |
25 |
21 |
19 |
20 |
28 |
|
|
Will remain the same |
36 |
42 |
47 |
47 |
53 |
49 |
53 |
53 |
50 |
|
|
WORSE (NET) |
49 |
36 |
32 |
25 |
21 |
27 |
26 |
24 |
21 |
|
|
Will be somewhat worse |
36 |
29 |
24 |
19 |
15 |
22 |
20 |
18 |
15 |
|
|
Will be much worse |
14 |
7 |
8 |
6 |
6 |
5 |
6 |
6 |
6 |
|
|
Note: Percentages may not add to 100% due to rounding; |
||||||||||
TABLE 6
WHEN WILL JOB MARKET IMPROVE - TREND
"When do you believe the job market will start to improve?"
Base: All adults
|
Dec 2009 |
Jan 2010 |
March 2010 |
April 2010 |
June 2010 |
Oct 2010 |
Nov 2010 |
||
|
% |
% |
% |
% |
% |
% |
% |
||
|
Already has started growing |
5 |
7 |
7 |
10 |
8 |
7 |
10 |
|
|
WITHIN NEXT SIX MONTHS (NET) |
16 |
14 |
13 |
12 |
11 |
12 |
11 |
|
|
Between now and 3 months from now |
4 |
5 |
4 |
4 |
3 |
3 |
4 |
|
|
Between 3 and 6 months from now |
12 |
9 |
9 |
8 |
9 |
9 |
7 |
|
|
Between 6 and 12 months from now |
24 |
24 |
21 |
21 |
21 |
22 |
22 |
|
|
Not for another year or longer |
37 |
39 |
41 |
38 |
40 |
43 |
41 |
|
|
Not at all sure |
18 |
16 |
19 |
20 |
20 |
16 |
15 |
|
|
Note: Percentages may not add to 100% due to rounding |
||||||||
TABLE 7
CAN GOVERNMENT CREATE JOBS?
"Do you agree or disagree that the government has the power to create jobs?"
Base: All adults
|
Generation |
Political Party |
||||||||
|
Echo Boomers (18-33) |
Gen X (34-45) |
Baby Boomers (46-64) |
Matures (65+) |
Rep. |
Dem. |
Ind. |
|||
|
% |
% |
% |
% |
% |
% |
% |
% |
||
|
AGREE (NET) |
65 |
71 |
67 |
62 |
58 |
52 |
77 |
62 |
|
|
Strongly agree |
22 |
27 |
22 |
19 |
17 |
15 |
28 |
20 |
|
|
Somewhat agree |
43 |
44 |
45 |
42 |
41 |
37 |
49 |
42 |
|
|
DISAGREE (NET) |
27 |
20 |
27 |
32 |
31 |
40 |
16 |
32 |
|
|
Somewhat disagree |
14 |
13 |
16 |
14 |
14 |
17 |
10 |
19 |
|
|
Strongly disagree |
13 |
7 |
11 |
18 |
18 |
23 |
6 |
14 |
|
|
Not at all sure |
8 |
9 |
6 |
6 |
11 |
8 |
7 |
6 |
|
|
Note: Percentages may not add to 100% due to rounding; * indicates less than 0.5% |
|||||||||
