Public Agenda Issue Guide: Economy - Public View - People's Chief Concerns

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ISSUE GUIDES: Economy

PUBLIC VIEW: PEOPLE’S CHIEF CONCERNS

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Large majorities say strengthening the nation's economy should be a top priority for Congress
Most Americans rate economic conditions as "only fair" or "poor"
Optimism about the economy fluctuates, but recently large majorities say economic conditions are getting worse
Americans are most likely to say the price of oil, unemployment, natural disasters and the Iraq war are the most pressing...
Americans are most likely to say gas prices, the cost of living, and lack of money are the biggest financial problems...
Large majorities of Americans say people taking on more debt than they can afford and banks making risky loans...
Majorities say price gouging and lack of effective legislative action are the top reasons for the high price of gasoline, but...
About three-quarters of Americans say the unemployment rate and the rate of inflation are the most important indicators of...
Majorities say they think inflation and interest rates will go up, but fewer expect a surge in economic growth
Majorities say their income is not keeping pace with the cost of living and more than one in four say they have...
Four in 10 of those who work say they earn enough money now to live the way they want, and of those who say they don't...
Minority young adults are more likely than white young adults to say they will be financially better off than their parents
More than two-thirds of Americans say wealth in this country should be more evenly distributed and the gap between...
Six in 10 Americans say they are dissatisfied with the influence of major corporations and more than three-quarters...
A plurality of Americans say the corporate scandals have not changed how they feel about major corporations, but nearly as...
Six in 10 Americans say the most important issue in Enron's collapse is that many employees lost their jobs and their...
Six in 10 Americans say they have money invested in the stock market and seven in 10 say they worry the problems on...
Seven in 10 Americans say labor unions "mostly help" member workers, but far fewer say labor unions "mostly help"...
Majorities say they agree that labor unions are necessary to protect the working person, but a plurality believe...