Public’s 2019 Priorities: Economy, Health Care, Education and Security All Near Top of List
Growing share sees ‘great deal of difference’ between the parties
Trump Begins Third Year With Low Job Approval and Doubts About His Honesty
At the second anniversary of his inauguration, public views of Donald Trump’s job performance, as well as his honesty and administration’s ethics, are decidedly negative. Yet opinions about the nation’s economy continue to be positive – and Trump’s handling of the economy remains a relative strength. Trump begins his third year with a 37% job […]
Positive Views of Economy Surge, Driven by Major Shifts Among Republicans
Americans’ views of national economic conditions continue to improve, with the share saying the economy is in good or excellent condition now at its highest point in nearly two decades. The overall rise in positive assessments seen over the last year is driven by the shifting views of Republicans and Republican-leaning independents. Nearly three-quarters of […]
Views of Job Situation Improve Sharply, but Many Still Say They’re Falling Behind Financially
Currently, 50% of Americans say there are plenty of jobs available in their communities – the highest number saying that jobs are plentiful in Pew Research Center surveys dating to 2001.
The Partisan Divide on Political Values Grows Even Wider
Gaps between Republicans and Democrats over racial discrimination, immigration and poverty assistance have widened considerably in recent years.
Negative Views of New Congress Cross Party Lines
Survey Report The new Republican-led Congress is drawing harsh reviews from the public – including most Republicans. Just 23% of Americans say congressional Republicans are keeping the promises they made during last fall’s campaign, while 65% say they are not. Nearly four-in-ten (37%) say the new Congress has accomplished less than they expected, while 4% […]
Most Say Government Policies Since Recession Have Done Little to Help Middle Class, Poor
Survey Report The public makes sharp distinctions about which groups have benefited – and which have not – from the economic policies the government has put in place since the start of the recession. Majorities say that large banks, large corporations and the wealthy have been helped a great deal or a fair amount by […]
Views of Job News Turn Much More Positive Over Past Year
Survey Report For the first time since the end of the recession in 2009, a greater share of the public is hearing mostly good news (28%) than bad news (22%) about the job situation. Nearly half (47%) say they are hearing a mix of good and bad news. This marks a stark change from a […]
Obama Job Rating Ticks Higher, Views of Nation’s Economy Turn More Positive
President Obama enters the seventh year of his presidency in a familiar position when compared with his recent predecessors. His 47% job approval rating places him squarely between George W. Bush (33%) and Bill Clinton (63%) at similar points in their second terms. Obama’s rating is comparable to Ronald Reagan’s in January 1987 (49%), when […]
Perceptions of Job News Trend Upward
For the first time in at least five years, as many Americans say they are hearing good news as bad news about the nation’s job situation.
Views of Job Market Tick Up, No Rise in Economic Optimism
Survey Report In advance of Friday’s jobs report, the public’s assessment of job availability in their local communities has improved modestly. But that has done nothing to boost overall economic optimism. For Americans, jobs are only part of the economic picture: 56% say their family’s incomes are falling behind the cost of living. That is […]
Modest Improvement in Views of Economic News
Survey Report Amid recent reports on the U.S. unemployment rate and gross domestic product, public views of economic news have improved modestly since February. A 64%-majority of the public says they are hearing “a mix of both good and bad news” about the economy these days, little changed over the last several months. But about […]
Midterm Election Indicators Daunting for Democrats
With the midterm elections six months away, Democrats are burdened by an uneven economic recovery and a stubbornly unpopular health care law. Perhaps equally important, Barack Obama’s political standing is in some respects weaker than it was at a comparable point in the 2010 campaign, which ended with the Republicans gaining a majority in the […]
Mixed Views of Economic News Persist
Survey Report Over the past year, the unemployment rate has fallen, but so too has the share of Americans in the labor force. The stock market rose during much of 2013, before falling at the start of this year. Through it all, the public’s perceptions of economic news have changed very little. Currently, 61% say […]
In Deficit Debate, Public Resists Cuts in Entitlements and Aid to Poor
Survey Report As President Obama prepares to sign a bipartisan budget agreement that its proponents describe as a modest step toward addressing the deficit, the public shows little appetite for making some of the spending cuts often discussed as part of a broader “grand bargain” on the budget. The latest national survey by the Pew […]
No Improvement in Public’s Views of Economic News
Survey Report As the Federal Reserve meets to discuss whether to keep up its $85-billion-a-month bond-buying program, the public’s perceptions of recent economic news have shown little change. Six-in-ten (60%) are hearing a mix of good and bad news about the economy. Far more say they are hearing mostly bad news about the economy (31%) […]
Partisans Dug in on Budget, Health Care Impasse
Survey Report Nearly a week into the first government shutdown in more than 17 years, most Americans express frustration and concern about the situation. Yet on the core issue dividing Republicans and Democrats in Washington – whether cuts or delays to the 2010 health care law should be part of any budget deal – there […]
Republicans Sour on Ben Bernanke
Survey Report As Ben Bernanke prepares to step down as chairman of the Federal Reserve in January, the public views him somewhat more favorably (38%) than unfavorably (31%), with 32% unable to offer a rating. Bernanke is better known now than he was in March 2008, when 55% could not rate him; at that time, […]
Five Years after Market Crash, U.S. Economy Seen as ‘No More Secure’
Five years after the U.S. economy faced its most serious crisis since the Great Depression, a majority of Americans (63%) say the nation’s economic system is no more secure today than it was before the 2008 market crash. Just a third (33%) think the system is more secure now than it was then. Large […]
Many Say Economic Recovery Is Still a Long Way Off
Four years after the recession officially ended, the economic recovery remains a long way off in the view of many Americans. A new survey by the Pew Research Center, conducted July 17-21 among 1,480 adults, finds that 44% say it will be a long time before the nation’s economy recovers. Smaller percentages say either […]
