Less than Six Degrees

In his 1990 play, Six Degrees of Separation (which he later adapted for a film of the same name starring Will Smith and Donald Sutherland, among others), playwright John Guare "explores the existential premise that everyone in the world is connected to everyone else...by a chain of no more than six acquaintances."

Well, as it turns out, a new poll, entitled "Tracking the Recovery: Voters’ Views on the Recession, Jobs, and the Deficit" and conducted by Hart Research for the Economic Policy Institute (EPI), a “think tank” that researches the impact of economic trends and policies on workers in the U.S. and elsewhere, suggests there are far fewer links involved in the relationship between Americans and the downturn still raging -- contrary to what Washington and Wall Street are saying -- throughout the economy:

In a recession often described as deep and severe, we now have one more adjective to add: personal.

A new survey of public views of the economy, released today, reveals that 57 percent of Americans are close to someone who has been laid off, 61 percent report that someone close to them has had their hours or pay cut, and 44 percent of all households have experienced one or the other during the past year. Because the pain of this recession is striking so close to home, Americans strongly support continuing government action to address unemployment.

The Tracking the Recovery survey, conducted among 802 registered voters nationwide from September 21-23 by Hart Research Associates for the Economic Policy Institute, takes an in-depth look at Americans’ experiences in this recession, their expectations for the year ahead, their views of the government’s role and degree of success so far, and their priorities for further government action.

“Unemployment and the lack of jobs remains the dominant problem on the economic agenda for voters across party lines,” said Hart Research’s president, Geoffrey Garin, who presented the results today at an EPI forum in Washington, D.C. “The portrait that emerges from this survey is of a majority with deep concern about the jobs situation who are looking to the Obama administration for continued action to save and create jobs.”

More than eight out of 10 voters (85%) believe the country is still in an economic recession. And with unemployment rates near double digits nationally and above that in many states, it’s no surprise that the vast majority of Americans (83%) see unemployment as a big problem today, and one not likely to end soon. When asked what they foresee for 12 months from now, 61 percent said unemployment will still be a big problem.

Another issue rated as a big problem by participants in the survey is the failure of wages and salaries to keep up with the cost of living. Today, 63 percent of Americans rate this as a very big or fairly big problem; 57 percent expect it to be a very or fairly big problem a year from now.
While voters have some concern about the growth of the federal deficit, job creation is far and away their top priority. In fact, by a margin of 53to 42 percent, voters are more concerned about rising unemployment rates than the rising federal deficit.

While voters have some concern about the growth of the federal deficit, job creation is far and away their top priority. In fact, by a margin of 53to 42 percent, voters are more concerned about rising unemployment rates than the rising federal deficit.

The survey results show that the voters are not persuaded by conservatives’ efforts either to blame the Obama administration for the federal deficit or to convince them that efforts to stimulate the economy should be abandoned in favor of spending cuts to reduce the deficit. By a margin of 73 to 24 percent, poll respondents agreed that: “The federal budget deficit is an important problem, but we need to deal with it in a way that allows us to invest in job creation, education, and energy independence, because we cannot solve the deficit problem without getting people back to work and getting our economy growing again.”

“Voters understand that investing in job creation must necessarily come before the challenge of addressing the federal deficit. These findings will help policy makers understand that they can do what they need to do to create a sound, jobs-based recovery without losing public support over the federal deficit,” said Lawrence Mishel, the president of EPI, which commissioned the poll. “And for those who have assumed that the deficit will trump all other concerns, it’s a wake-up call.”

When asked who has been helped most so far by the government’s stimulus efforts, the majority say “large banks” (62%) or “Wall Street investment companies” (54%) have benefited either a lot or a fair amount. Asked how much “the average working person” or “you and your family” have benefited, approximately one out of 10 (13% and 10%, respectively) say a lot or a fair amount.

The vast majority of voters (81%) agree that the Obama administration still needs to do more to deal with unemployment and the loss of jobs. The survey also shows that voters trust the president more than congressional Republicans, by a margin of 43 to 32 percent, to have the right economic policies.

When asked what additional actions they think the government should take, a majority of voters support five initiatives:

• 87 percent say they support passing a major new job creation tax credit for businesses that create jobs in the United States in the next two years (56% support strongly, 31% somewhat).
• 81 percent support extending unemployment insurance benefits for those who have lost their jobs during the recession and are unable to find new jobs (48% and 33%).
• 71 percent support putting unemployed people back to work at government-funded public service jobs that help meet important community needs (41% and 30%).
• 63 percent favor giving a new round of tax rebates to lower- and middle-income Americans (35% and 28%).
• 52 percent support providing increased federal assistance to state and local governments to prevent additional layoffs of government employees because government layoffs add to unemployment and harm vital services (23% and 29%).

Comments

[Steve]

You have got to be kidding?! We should give away more money we don't have to spur an expansion that won't happen?!

That is what happens when people are not properly educated (lazy) and are ill-informed (too distracted by NASCAR/NFL/Rap/CableTV to care). We are already so over our heads in debt (unlike Japan which at least had domestic savings to fall back on) and we should continue to shovel $$ in rebates and gov't giveaways?! Lord, help us...

[Michael Panzner]

I'm not arguing in favor of (more) government give-aways. My point in posting the article was to show that most Americans still think the economy is in big trouble, contrary to what the experts claim. In the end, all the bailouts and quick fixes are only going to make the problems worse.

[MichaelN]

I just searched, and could not find, the survey question that asked about the choice between "Health care or jobs?" or "Health care vs deficit?"

I would have been in the affirmative on many of the survey questions, but I am quite upset that this administration is fixated on health insurance (which is not unimportant) RATHER than J-O-B-S!!!

Perhaps all of the energy in Congress devoted to health insurance/reform is a good thing - it slows down their future pork-filled giveaways - but J-O-B-S is receiving very, very little attention.

Another "not seen question" - Congressional Dem's vs. Congressional Rep's" That'd be an interesting question.

In the meantime, I'm looking to my right at the the "National Debt Clock" and I see it speeding toward $12 trillion. Hmm, did I mention that I have a son who is 18 and a daughter who is 15? Have you seen the thousands of earmarks that this Congress is attempting to put in the next budget? Where is Obama on this one? Remember, he signed that last one saying "not mine." Well, this one WILL be his and so far..........nothing. He campaigned on putting an end to this - I hope that he wasn't lying, but I'm not optimistic!

[Tom]

802 people were surveyed out of the MILLIONS who are voters and the MILLIONS who are out of work. i'd say the sample size is far too small to draw the percentages listed. Did their survey include the homeless victims of foreclosure, the bankrupt (due to medical bills), the voters who are also unemployed and have been for so long that they are no longer counted? The survey should have taken much longer to conduct and polled all of the above groups as well as people still working, CEO's who don't worry about their jobs, the rich, clergy of all faiths, people in the military, etc.

i think the results would have been WORSE than those listed.

[thinkright]

Gee, what a shock! The "public" still thinks we are in "big trouble." But, inquiring minds wonder, as with any Panzer reference to a "think tank," just what is the ideological agenda of that "think tank." Since almost EVERY mention of a "think tank" here and at his companion blog references a far left progressive institution, what about the Economic Policy Institute? Let's check with FAIR, a far left phony-baloney version of AIM. They say the following: "The two progressive think tanks in the top 10 were the Center for American Progress and the Economic Policy Institute." Gosh, what a surprise then that their findings are anti-Republican and pro-government hand-outs for the "little people." I bet that survey was a scrupulous statistically significant double blind random sample. Be sure to google progressivism and eugenics, then think about how much you'd like to be Trig Palin when the Health Care Commissioner decides your level of health care "eligibility." Unbelievable. Really, you've got to do better than this! While I have read this site for several months, I'm fed up with the unwillingness to properly label the biased sources and will remove it from my list. Buh-bye.