November 21, 2009
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Zogby Interactive: Overall, Voters Still Negative About U.S. Economic Policy, Remain Anxious About Future
Positive Ratings of Personal Finances Remain Below 40%; 26% Express Job Insecurity
UTICA, New York - Eight months after passage of the economic stimulus bill in February, likely voters are feeling a bit more positive about U.S. economic policy than they did in early March. However, there is no change in voters' assessment of their personal finances and job security; they are a bit more pessimistic that their children will have a better life than they have had.
Those are among the results of Zogby Interactive surveys of likely voters conducted from October 23-26 and from March 2-5 of this year. The most recent poll included 3,544 likely voters and had a margin of error of +/-1.7%. The March poll numbered 3,365 likely voters and had the same margin of error.
U.S. Economic Policy
Here is a comparison of how voters rated U.S. economic policy in March and in October.
|
U.S. Economic Policy |
October |
March |
|
Excellent |
3% |
3% |
|
Good |
20% |
15% |
|
Fair |
25% |
18% |
|
Poor |
51% |
59% |
|
Not sure |
2% |
5% |
Numbers were rounded off to the nearest percent and might not equal 100.
While we found improvement in October, the survey still shows only 23% giving positive ratings of excellent or good, and a majority (51%) saying poor. Democrats made up a significant number of those moving to a positive rating, going from 32% in March to 42% in October. There was no significant change among Republicans or Independents.
Children's Futures
Our question asked how confident voters are that their children will have a better life than them. Here is a comparison of the two polls. (Responses of "not sure" and those with no children are not included.)
|
Confidence Better Life for Children |
October |
March |
|
Very |
14% |
15% |
|
Fairly |
30% |
34% |
|
Not Very |
37% |
36% |
|
Not At All |
20% |
15% |
Numbers were rounded off to the nearest percent and might not equal 100.
Combining the very and fairly confident responses shows a decrease from 49% in March to 44% in October. These declines showed up across all demographic and partisan groups.
Other Indicators
For other economic indicators we asked in both the March and October surveys, there were no significant differences. Here are the October survey results for those questions:
Personal Finances: Only 6% rate their personal finances as excellent, while 31% rate them as good, producing combined positive ratings of 36%. Twenty-two percent answered poor and 41% said fair.
Job Security: A total of 26% said they felt either not very secure (14%) or not at all secure (12%) in their current jobs. Twenty-seven percent felt very secure and 32% felt fairly secure, with 15% not sure. Those in the lowest annual household income category of less than $25,000 were less secure (26% not at all and 18% not very), but there were no significant differences among other income groups.
U.S. Direction: More voters say the U.S. is headed in the wrong direction than right, 50% to 43%, with 7% not sure. Partisan differences are very large, with 77% of Democrats choosing right direction, compared to 8% of Republicans and 35% of Independents. There is also a difference based on income, with 48% of voters in households at $50,000 or less choosing right direction, compared to 40% in households earning more than $50,000.
Pollster John Zogby: "The Obama Administration can take some comfort in the small increase of support for the nation's economic policy. But otherwise, voters remain pessimistic. When Obama took office, our polling found most voters acknowledging it would take time for an economic recovery. Given how static opinion has remained on these key indicators, there doesn't seem to be evidence that has changed. However, with Congressional elections a year away, Obama and the Democrats need positive economic news or they risk losing voter confidence and seats in Congress."
(10/29/2009)
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