Fifty-seven percent of Americans mention an economic issue when asked to name the most important problem facing the United States today, the lowest since June 2010, when the percentage was also 57%. The last time it fell below this level was with a 55% reading in December 2009. [cont.] Jeffrey […] Read more »
71% Back Raising Minimum Wage
Seven in 10 Americans say they would vote “for” raising the minimum wage to $9 per hour if given the opportunity, while 27% would vote against such a bill. The proposal, made by President Barack Obama in his 2013 State of the Union speech, is backed by over 90% of […] Read more »
Obama Rated at 3-Year High in Poll, Republicans at Bottom
President Barack Obama enters the latest budget showdown with Congress with his highest job approval rating in three years and public support for his economic message, while his Republican opponents’ popularity stands at a record low. … Americans by 49 percent to 44 percent believe Obama’s proposals for government spending […] Read more »
Diminished Lives and Futures: A Portrait of America in the Great-Recession Era
This Work Trends report, Diminished Lives and Futures: A Portrait of America in the Great-Recession Era, explores the views of employed and unemployed Americans about the economy and their experiences during and after the Great Recession, and asks them to assess the nation’s political institutions, leaders, and public policies. [cont. – […] Read more »
Deficit Reduction Rises on Public’s Agenda for Obama’s Second Term
When Barack Obama took office four years ago, reducing the budget deficit was a middle-tier item on the public’s agenda. Only about half of Americans (53%) viewed it as a top policy priority in January 2009, placing it ninth on a list of 20 policy goals. But as Obama begins […] Read more »
Public Attitudes Toward the Next Social Contract
The recent deliberations in Washington about the fiscal cliff have triggered a national debate in the United States about the nature, extent and future sustainability of key elements of the U.S. social safety net: Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, support for education, the unemployed and the poor. … Rooted in value […] Read more »