Economic Security in America: AEI Public Opinion Study, August 2010

AEISPublic Opinion
Studies
Economic Insecurity Update:

Americans’ Concerns about their
Jobs, Personal Finances,
Retirement, Health Costs,
Housing, and More
Compiled by Karlyn Bowman, Resident Fellow, AEI and Andrew Rugg, Research
Assistant
(Updated August 2010)
In this AEI Public Opinion Study, we bring together existing trend questions from many
pollsters about the subjects described in the title above to get a sense of how anxious or
economically insecure Americans feel.
We look here at what people say about their own lives and those of their friends and
family, and not at what people say about ―most Americans‖ or ―Americans in general.‖
We give substantial weight to what people say about their own situations, which we feel
they know best.
1
Table of Contents
Job Anxiety ....................................................................................................................................... 3
Job Security................................................................................................................................. 14
Outsourcing ................................................................................................................................. 16
Personal Financial Worries: ............................................................................................................ 16
Retirement Anxiety: ........................................................................................................................ 40
Health Cost Anxiety:....................................................................................................................... 46
Housing Anxiety: ............................................................................................................................ 53
Home Value ................................................................................................................................ 58
Comparative Anxiety: ..................................................................................................................... 60
Losing your job ........................................................................................................................... 65
Money Anxiety ........................................................................................................................... 70
Health Anxiety ............................................................................................................................ 74
Crime/Terrorism Anxiety............................................................................................................ 75
2
Job Anxiety
Most polls show that negative views about the economy as a whole rose during
the summer of 2010.
When asked specifically about whether they or a family member had a lost a job
in the past six months, however, polls have been stable all year. Around two-thirds say
this hasn’t happened to them. At the same time, however, around two-thirds say they
know someone other than a family member who has lost a job in the past six months.
Again, these responses appear stable in 2010. Eighty-five percent told Pew surveyors
that good jobs are hard to find in their area. That is the highest response on the
question since various pollsters started asking it in 1992.
Around three in ten in CBS’s June 2010 poll said they are very concerned that
they or someone in their family could lose a job in the next year. In Gallup’s August
2010 poll, a quarter said they were worried that they would be laid off or separately
that their wages would be cut in the near future. In the same Gallup series, 39 percent
worried that their benefits would be cut back. Although as said earlier, views about the
economy as a whole are more negative now in many polls than they were in the spring,
job anxiety for those who have jobs seemed to be most acute in 2009. In 2010, for those
who have jobs and who are weathering the storm, there is little indication that things
are getting worse. In the August 2010 NBC/Wall Street Journal poll, 65 percent of
those with jobs were very or somewhat satisfied with their job security. In Gallup’s
August poll, 84 percent were completely or somewhat satisfied with it.
Thinking of the last six months, that is since ___ of last year, have you or someone in your family lost a job as a result of
economic conditions or not?
Yes, self Yes, family No

Feb. 2009 AP/Roper GfK 10% 25% 65%
Apr. 2009 AP/Roper GfK 8 25 62
May. 2009 AP/Roper GfK 7 21 70
Jul. 2009 AP/Roper GfK 8 21 65
Sept. 2009 AP/Roper GfK 5 26 65
Oct. 2009 AP/Roper GfK 8 20 70
Nov. 2009 AP/Roper GfK 9 21 66
Dec. 2009 AP/Roper GfK 9 22 66
Jan. 2010 AP/Roper GfK 7 28 63
Mar. 2010 AP/Roper GfK 8 23 67
Apr. 2010 AP/Roper GfK 6 23 69
May 2010 AP/Roper GfK 8 21 69
Jun. 2010 AP/Roper GfK 7 29 61
Aug. 2010 AP/Roper GfK 6 25 67
And thinking of the last 6 months – that is, since February of this year – has someone you know personally lost a job as
a result of economic conditions or not?
Yes No
Feb. 2009 Ap-Gfk/Roper 65% 35%
Apr. 2009 Ap-Gfk/Roper 67 33
May 2009 Ap-Gfk/Roper 60 39
Jul. 2009 Ap-Gfk/Roper 64 34
Sept. 2009 Ap-Gfk/Roper 66 32
Oct. 2009 Ap-Gfk/Roper 65 34
3
Nov. 2009 Ap-Gfk/Roper 66 34
Dec. 2009 Ap-Gfk/Roper 69 30
Jan. 2010 Ap-Gfk/Roper 71 29
Mar. 2010 Ap-Gfk/Roper 64 35
Apr. 2010 Ap-Gfk/Roper 64 36
May 2010 Ap-Gfk/Roper 63 36
Jun. 2010 Ap-Gfk/Roper 70 29
Aug. 2010 Ap-Gfk/Roper 65 35
How concerned are you that in the next 12 months you or someone else in your household might be out of work or
looking for a job—very concerned, somewhat concerned, or not concerned at all?
Very concerned Somewhat concerned Not concerned at all

Oct. 2002 CBS/NYT 31% 20% 48%
Apr. 2004 CBS/NYT 33 25 41
Jun. 2004 CBS/NYT 28 27 45
Sep. 2004 CBS/NYT 30 26 44
Oct. 2004 CBS/NYT 22 24 53
Jun. 2005 CBS/NYT 20 18 61
Dec. 2005 CBS/NYT 21 25 53
Jan. 2006 CBS/NYT 22 27 51
Feb. 2008 CBS/NYT 29 27 43
Mar.-Apr. 2008 CBS/NYT 28 26 45
Aug. 2008 CBS/NYT 24 25 50
Sep. 2008 CBS/NYT 21 23 56
Oct. 2008 CBS/NYT 23 28 49
Late Oct. 2008 CBS/NYT 35 26 38
Dec. 2008 CBS 33 26 39
Jan. 2009 CBS/NYT 30 32 38
Feb. 2009 CBS 44 28 27
Late Feb. 2009 CBS /NYT 38 26 35
Mar. 2009 CBS 30 30 39
Apr. 2009 CBS/NYT 44 26 30
Apr. 2009 CBS/NYT 32 26 42
June 2009 CBS/NYT 36 28 35
Jul. 2009 CBS/ 40 29 30
Jul. 2009 CBS/NYT 36 26 38
Sept. 2009 CBS/NYT 30 28 42
Dec. 2010 CBS/ 20 37 43
Feb. 2010 CBS/NYT 31 26 41
Mar. 2010 CBS/NYT 36 26 37
Jun. 2010 CBS/NYT 32 25 41
Jul. 2010 CBS/NYT 31 29 39
Thinking now about job opportunities where you live, would you say there are plenty of jobs available in your
community or are jobs difficult to find?
Plenty of jobs Jobs are difficult

available to find
Jan. 1992 US News 12% 79%
May 1992 US News 16 77
Aug. 1992 US News 15 76
Jun. 2001 PSRA/Pew Research Center 42 44
Oct. 2003 PSRA/Pew Research Center 24 66
Jan. 2004 PSRA/Pew Research Center 27 60
Feb. 2004 PSRA/Pew Research Center 31 59
Apr. 2004 PSRA/Pew Research Center 30 57
Aug. 2004 PSRA/Pew Research Center 34 55
Sep. 2004 PSRA/Pew Research Center 31 52
May 2005 PSRA/Pew Research Center 30 60
4
Mar. 2006 PSRA/Pew Research Center 37 56
Dec. 2006 PSRA/Pew Research Center 40 49
Sep. 2007 PSRA/Pew Research Center 36 50
Apr. 2008 PSRA/Pew Research Center 30 61
Jul. 2008 PSRA/Pew Research Center 31 58
Dec. 2008 PSRA/Pew Research Center 19 73
Sept-Oct. 2009 PSRA/Pew Research Center 14 79
Mar. 2010 PSRA/Pew Research Center 10 85
And would you describe the financial situation in your own household these days as good, poor, or neither good nor
poor?
Good Poor Neither

Sept. 2008 Ap-Gfk/Roper 61% 30% 8%
Jun. 2009 Ap-Gfk/Roper 56 37 6
Sept. 2009 Ap-Gfk/Roper 58 37 5
Oct.2009 Ap-Gfk/Roper 60 35 5
Nov. 2009 Ap-Gfk/Roper 59 34 7
Dec. 2009 Ap-Gfk/Roper 61 34 4
Jan. 2010 Ap-Gfk/Roper 60 37 3
Mar. 2010 Ap-Gfk/Roper 62 33 4
Apr. 2010 Ap-Gfk/Roper 59 38 3
May 2010 Ap-Gfk/Roper 60 33 7
Jun. 2010 Ap-Gfk/Roper 64 30 6
Aug. 2010 Ap-Gfk/Roper 61 36 3
Next, please indicate whether you are worried about each of the following happening to you, personally, in the near
future. How about...?
Gallup
That you will be laid off
Worried Not worried

Aug. 1997 20% 80%
Aug. 2003 19 81
Aug. 2004 20 79
Aug. 2005 15 84
Aug. 2006 17 82
Aug. 2007 14 85
Aug. 2008 15 85
Aug. 2009 31 68
Aug. 2010 26 73
That your hours at work will be cut back
Worried Not worried

Aug. 1997 15% 85%
Aug. 2003 15 84
Aug. 2004 14 86
Aug. 2005 13 87
Aug. 2006 16 83
Aug. 2007 12 87
Aug. 2008 14 85
Aug. 2009 27 72
5
Aug. 2010 25 73
That your wages will be reduced
Worried Not worried

Aug. 1997 17% 83%
Aug. 2003 17 82
Aug. 2004 17 83
Aug. 2005 14 86
Aug. 2006 19 80
Aug. 2007 14 86
Aug. 2008 16 83
Aug. 2009 32 67
Aug. 2010 26 74
That your benefits will be reduced
Worried Not worried

Aug. 1997 34% 66%
Aug. 2003 31 67
Aug. 2004 28 69
Aug. 2005 28 69
Aug. 2006 30 67
Aug. 2007 29 68
Aug. 2008 27 70
Aug. 2009 46 52
Aug. 2010 39 58
That your company will move jobs to countries overseas
Worried Not worried

Aug. 2003 9% 89%
Aug. 2004 11 89
Aug. 2005 12 88
Aug. 2006 11 86
Aug. 2007 10 88
Aug. 2008 8 91
Aug. 2009 10 88
Aug. 2010 8 91
Note: Sample is employed adults, full or part-time.
Over the past 12 months, has there been a time when you or someone in your household has been without a job and
looking for work, or not?
Yes No
May 2005 PSRA/Pew 31% 69%
Jan.-Feb. 2008. PSRA/Pew 28 71
Dec. 2008 PSRA/Pew 35 65
Feb. 2009 PSRA/Pew 39 61
Sept./Oct. 2009 PSRA/Pew 42 58
Mar. 2010 PSRA/Pew 54 45
If you were to lose your job, how likely is it that you would find a job just as good as the one you have now—very
likely, somewhat likely, not very likely, or not at all likely?
Very Somewhat Not too Not at all

likely likely likely likely
Feb. 2001 Gallup 35% 29% 24% 11%
Apr. 2001 Gallup 37 33 23 7
Apr. 2006 Gallup 29 31 23 16
Apr. 2007 Gallup 34 30 21 15
6
Apr. 2010 Gallup 16 26 30 27
Note: Samples are employed adults.
In the last few months have you or has anyone living in your household been laid off or lost their job?
Yes No
Dec. 2008 ABC/Wash Post 18% 82%
Feb. 2009 ABC/Wash Post 18 82
April 2009 ABC/Wash Post 23 77
Sept. 2009* ABC/Wash Post 27 73
Nov. 2009 ABC/Wash Post 30 70
Note: *Wording was changed to ―In the last year…‖
In the last few months have you or has anyone living in your household had work hours or pay cut?
Yes No
April 2009 ABC/Wash Post 35 65
Sept. 2009* ABC/Wash Post 41 59
Note: *Wording was changed to ―In the last year…‖
Thinking beyond your own household, do you have any close friends or immediate family members who have
been laid off or lost their job?
Yes No
Feb. 2009 ABC/Wash Post 60% 40%
Thinking beyond your own household, do you have any close friends or immediate family members who have
had work hours or pay cut?
Yes No
Feb. 2009 ABC/Wash Post 60% 38%
How concerned are you that you or someone else in your household will be laid off or lose their job in the next few
months – very concerned, somewhat concerned, not so concerned, or not concerned at all?
Very Somewhat Not so Not concerned

concerned concerned concerned at all
Feb. 2009 ABC/Wash Post 23% 24% 21% 33%
Sept. 2009 ABC/Wash Post 25 21 18 36
How concerned are you that you or someone else in your household will have work hours or pay cut in the next few
months – very concerned, somewhat concerned, not so concerned, or not concerned at all?

Feb. 2009 ABC/Wash Post 26% 27% 16% 31%
Sept. 2009 ABC/Wash Post 28 24 17 30
Please tell me whether any of the following have been laid off or lost a job in the last six months?
Jan.-Feb. 2009 Gallup
Yes, lost a job No

A more distant relative or friend 52% 47%
A close friend or immediate family member such as
parent, child, brother or sister. 36 64
You or another person living in your household 19 81
7
For each of the following, please indicate whether it has happened to you in the last six months, whether you are
worried it might happen to you in the near future, or if you are not worried about it happening to you in the foreseeable
future. How about ______?
Jan.-Feb. 2009 Gallup
Happened to me in Worried about it Not

the last six months happening worried
Having your hours at work cut back, including
including being furloughed 12% 24% 64%
Having your benefits reduced 9 31 59
Having your wages reduced 8 24 68
Being laid off 2 29 68
Your company moving jobs to countries overseas 2 8 88
Thinking about the next 12 months, how likely is it that you will lose your job or be laid off – very likely, fairly likely,
not too likely or not at all likely?
Very Fairly Not too Not at all

likely likely likely likely
Jan.-Feb. 1975 Gallup 3% 10% 28% 55%
Apr. 1975 Gallup 5 8 22 63
Nov. 1979 Gallup 3 8 18 66
May 1980 Gallup 6 8 24 60
Sep. 1980 Gallup 6 9 24 60
Jun. 1982 Gallup 7 7 28 54
Nov. 1982 Gallup 9 9 28 49
Apr. 1983 Gallup 8 8 26 55
Feb. 1989 Gallup 4 8 35 53
Jul. 1990 Gallup 6 6 24 62
Mar. 1991 Gallup 5 7 22 65
Jul. 1991 Gallup 6 10 25 59
Oct. 1991 Gallup 6 10 25 59
Dec. 1993 Gallup 5 7 27 60
Apr. 1996 Gallup 5 9 34 52
Jun. 1997 Gallup 4 6 26 63
Dec. 1998 Gallup 6 7 27 60
Apr. 2001 Gallup 5 7 36 52
Sep. 2001 Gallup 7 6 25 62
Apr. 2006 Gallup 3 7 32 57
Apr. 2007 Gallup 4 8 31 57
Apr. 2010 Gallup 8 13 40 38
Dec. 2008 ABC/WashPost 10 11 30 48
How concerned are you about losing your job?
Very Somewhat Not very Not

concerned concerned concerned concerned
Apr. 2003 Fox/OD 28% 14% 13% 35%
May 2003 Fox/OD 11 9 17 47
Jun. 2004 Fox/OD 22 12 19 40
Extremely Very Not very Not at all

Dec. 2008 Fox /OD 14% 15% 22% 39%
Jan. 2009 Fox /OD 7 13 26 41
8
Now looking ahead at the next six months. How likely is it that you, someone in your family or someone else you know
personally will lose their job in the next six months as a result of economic conditions?… Extremely likely, very likely,
somewhat likely, not very likely, not at all likely
Extremely Very Somewhat Not very Not at all

likely likely likely likely likely
Jan. 2002 IPSOS-Reid 7% 12% 30% 32% 18%
Feb. 2002 IPSOS-Reid 7 13 31 32 16
Mar. 2002 IPSOS-Reid/Cook 7 12 29 33 18
Apr. 2002 IPSOS-Reid/Cook 7 11 28 34 18
May 2002 IPSOS-Reid/Cook 6 11 28 35 19
Jun. 2002 IPSOS-Reid/Cook 7 13 30 31 18
Jul. 2002 IPSOS-Reid/Cook 8 11 32 31 17
Aug. 2002 IPSOS-Reid/Cook 8 11 31 31 18
Sep. 2002 IPSOS-Reid/Cook 8 12 29 29 20
Oct. 2002 IPSOS-Reid/Cook 9 13 31 30 16
Nov. 2002 IPSOS-Reid/Cook 9 13 30 30 15
Dec. 2002 IPSOS-Reid/Cook 8 14 30 31 14
Jan. 2003 IPSOS-Reid 8 14 30 30 16
Feb. 2003 IPSOS-Reid/Cook 9 13 30 28 17
Mar. 2003 IPSOS-Reid/Cook 9 13 28 29 17
Apr. 2003 IPSOS-Reid/Cook 8 13 29 31 17
May 2003 IPSOS-Reid/Cook 8 13 30 32 15
Jun. 2003 IPSOS-Reid/Cook 7 12 32 31 17
Jul. 2003 IPSOS-Reid/Cook 7 15 32 29 15
Aug. 2003 IPSOS-Reid/Cook 8 13 32 30 16
Sep. 2003 IPSOS-Reid/Cook 8 13 32 28 17
Oct. 2003 IPSOS-Reid/Cook 7 12 31 30 18
Nov. 2003 IPSOS-Reid/Cook 7 12 30 30 19
Dec. 2003 IPSOS-Reid/Cook 7 11 32 32 17
Jan. 2004 AP/Ipsos 7 12 29 33 17
Feb. 2004 AP/Ipsos 8 12 28 31 20
Mar. 2004 AP/Ipsos 6 13 30 31 19
May 2004 AP/Ipsos 8 13 31 29 18
Jun. 2004 AP/Ipsos 8 10 29 31 21
Jul. 2004 AP/Ipsos 6 11 28 34 20
Aug. 2004 AP/Ipsos 6 12 30 33 18
Sep. 2004 AP/Ipsos 7 9 28 33 23
Oct. 2004 AP/Ipsos 6 10 30 37 16
Nov. 2004 AP/Ipsos 8 11 27 31 22
Jan. 2005 AP/Ipsos 6 12 31 32 18
Feb. 2005 AP/Ipsos 6 13 29 32 19
Mar. 2005 AP/Ipsos 9 10 26 34 20
Apr. 2005 AP/Ipsos 7 12 26 31 22
May 2005 AP/Ipsos 6 13 26 33 21
Jun. 2005 RBC/Ipsos 7 12 29 30 21
Jul. 2005 RBC/Ipsos 6 12 31 31 18
Aug. 2005 RBC/Ipsos 8 11 29 34 17
Sep. 2005 RBC/Ipsos 7 12 29 32 18
Oct. 2005 RBC/Ipsos 7 10 29 31 21
Nov. 2005 RBC/Ipsos 7 11 24 35 22
Dec. 2005 RBC/Ipsos 8 13 26 31 21
Jan. 2006 RBC/Ipsos 8 11 32 32 15
Feb. 2006 RBC/Ipsos 8 11 27 33 20
Mar. 2006 RBC/Ipsos 7 12 26 33 21
Apr. 2006 RBC/Ipsos 6 11 29 33 20
May 2006 RBC/Ipsos 9 13 27 30 20
Jun. 2006 RBC/Ipsos 6 10 26 34 23
Jul. 2006 RBC/Ipsos 7 8 29 33 22
Aug. 2006 RBC/Ipsos 4 10 31 33 20
Sep. 2006 RBC/Ipsos 6 12 27 31 23
Nov. 2006 RBC/Ipsos 7 10 27 33 21
9
Dec. 2006 RBC/Ipsos 6 10 27 36 20
Jan. 2007 RBC/Ipsos 5 11 25 34 24
Feb. 2007 RBC/Ipsos 5 8 28 34 23
Mar. 2007 RBC/Ipsos 8 11 25 31 23
May 2007 RBC/Ipsos 8 10 24 35 21
Jun. 2007 RBC/Ipsos 4 10 29 32 23
Jul. 2007 RBC/Ipsos 6 12 30 30 20
Aug. 2007 RBC/Ipsos 5 12 25 33 23
Sep. 2007 RBC/Ipsos 6 11 32 29 20
Oct. 2007 RBC/Ipsos 5 12 26 33 21
Nov. 2007 RBC/Ipsos 8 11 29 29 21
Dec. 2007 RBC/Ipsos 5 10 32 33 18
Jan. 2008 RBC/Ipsos 6 12 32 29 18
Feb. 2008 RBC/Ipsos 8 16 30 26 19
Mar. 2008 RBC/Ipsos 7 14 33 28 15
Apr. 2008 RBC/Ipsos 6 14 32 28 17
May 2008 RBC/Ipsos 7 17 33 23 17
Jun. 2008 RBC/Ipsos 8 18 29 28 14
Jul. 2008 RBC/Ipsos 9 15 31 28 14
Sep.2008 RBC/Ipsos 8 15 30 27 19
Oct. 2008 RBC/Ipsos 11 18 35 21 14
Nov. 2008 RBC/Ipsos 9 18 34 24 12
Dec. 2008 RBC/Ipsos 11 21 35 19 10
Jan. 2009 RBC/Ipsos 11 22 33 21 10
Feb. 2009 RBC/Ipsos 15 27 33 18 5
Mar. 2009 RBC/Ipsos 14 25 37 15 7
Aug. 2009 RBC/Ipsos 12 24 35 19 7
Oct. 2009 RBC/Ipsos 11 18 36 25 9
Nov. 2009 RBC/Ipsos 9 20 41 21 8
Dec. 2009 RBC/Ipsos 13 16 38 22 9
Jan. 2010 RBS/Ipsos 9 16 37 26 11
Feb. 2010 RBS/Ipsos 9 16 44 21 8
Mar. 2010 RBS/Ipsos 8 18 37 26 10
Do you, personally, know anyone who has been laid off or lost their job within the last six months, or not?
Yes No
Apr. 2003 Gallup 63% 37%
Apr. 2004 Gallup 60 40
Do you know someone, personally, who has been laid off or fired recently, or not?
Yes No
Oct. 1990 Gallup 50% 49%
Oct. 1991 Gallup 50 46
Dec. 1993 Gallup 52 47
Mar. 1994 Gallup 60 40
Aug. 2001 Gallup 43 57
Nov. 2001 Gallup 54 46
Feb. 2002 Gallup 51 49
Do you, personally, know anyone who has been laid off or lost their job within the last three months?
Yes No
Jan.-Feb. 2008 Gallup/USA Today 38% 62%
10
As far as you know, in the past six months, has your employer laid off any employees, or not?
Yes No
Aug. 2003 Gallup 34% 64%
As far as you know, in the past six months, has your employer laid off any employees, or not?
Yes No
Jun.-Jul. 2006 PSRA/Pew 26% 71%
In the last twelve months, has any adult in your household been out of work and actively looking for a job?
Yes No
Aug. 2002 CBS/NYT 29% 71%
Sep. 2008 CBS/NYT 29 71
Oct. 2008 CBS/NYT 25 74
How confident are you that you can continue to work for your company for the next 12 months – extremely confident,
very confident, somewhat confident, not too confident, or not at all confident?
Extremely Very Somewhat Not too Not at all

confident confident confident confident confident
Apr. 2002 Gallup/UBS 47% 32% 15% 3% 2%
May 2002 Gallup/UBS 44 34 14 4 3
Jun. 2002 Gallup/UBS 26 34 29 5 4
Jul. 2002 Gallup/UBS 38 38 14 6 5
Aug. 2002 Gallup/UBS 42 33 16 5 3
May 2003 Gallup/UBS 45 32 16 3 3
How concerned are you that you or someone else in your household will lose their job in the next year? Are you very
concerned, somewhat concerned, not very concerned, or not concerned at all?
Very Somewhat Not very Not at all

Dec. 1994* CBS/NYT 21% 17% 20% 40%
Jul. 1995* CBS/NYT 26 17 17 39
Mar. 1996 CBS 27 22 19 30
May 1996 CBS/NYT 27 21 22 29
Apr. 2003 CBS 20 19 22 37
May 2003 CBS/NYT 25 20 24 32
Jul. 2003 CBS/NYT 25 21 21 32
Aug. 2003 CBS 22 19 31 36
Sep. 2003 CBS/NYT 26 18 22 33
Jan. 2004 CBS/NYT 21 18 20 39
Note: * Question wording, ―How much do you worry that you or someone else in your household will be laid off—a lot,
some, only a little or not at all?‖
How concerned are you that you or someone else in your household will lose their job in the next year? Are you very
concerned, somewhat concerned, not too concerned, or not concerned at all?
Very Somewhat Not too Not

concerned concerned concerned concerned at all
Apr. 2004 ABC/Wash Post 24% 19% 19% 34%
11
Please tell me whether you are worried or not worried about each of the following happening in the next 12 months…
that you or your spouse will lose a job?
Worried Not worried

Oct. 1990^ Gallup/Newsweek 20% 79%
Oct.-Nov. 1991 Gallup 31 65
Dec. 1991 Gallup 25 68
Jan. 1992 Gallup 36 62
Jan.-Feb. 1992 Gallup/CNN/USA Today 33 64
Oct. 1992* Gallup/CNN/USA Today 29 67
Jul. 2001 Gallup 22 77
Oct. 2001 Gallup/CNN/USA Today 29 70
Jul. 2002 Gallup/CNN/USA Today 27 70
Jul. 2002 Gallup/CNN/USA Today 22 73
Oct. 2002 Gallup/CNN/USA Today 27 70
Dec. 2002 Gallup/CNN/USA Today 24 73
Jan. 2004 Gallup/CNN/USA Today 21 78
Jan.-Feb. 2008 Gallup/USA Today 23 74
Note: * Asked of registered voters. ^ Very and somewhat categories combined. Samples are national adults.
As a result of what‘s happening in the economy these days, please tell me whether or not you are worried about the
following—a major wage earner in your family losing a job? Are you worried about this, or not?
Yes, worried No, not worried

Oct. 1991 PSRA/Newsweek 44% 48%
May 2003 PSRA/Newsweek 32 58
Nov. 2003 PSRA/Newsweek 34 60
Feb. 2004 PSRA/Newsweek 43 55
How many jobs do you have now?
One job Two jobs or more

Jun. 1991 Gallup 84% 16%
Jul. 1996 Newsweek 85 15
Jul. 1997 PSRA/Pew 87 12
How many jobs do you have now?
One job Two jobs or more

Jun.-Jul. 2006 PSRA/Pew 87% 13%
12
Were you laid off from your main job at any time in the past two years?
Yes No
Jun-Jul. 2006 PSRA/Pew 8% 91%
About how long were you out of work?
Less than Between 3 Between 6 More than Still out of

3 months and 6 months months and 1 year 1 year work now
34% 23% 16% 15% 9%
Note: Based on those adults who were laid off.
Overall, would you say the new job you took during this period offered wages and benefits that were better,
worse, or about the same as the previous job?
Better Worse About the same

25% 28% 37%
Note: Based on those adults who were laid off and now are employed.
Thinking of the last 6 months- that is, since November of last year – have you or has someone in your family lost a job
as a result of economic conditions or not?
Yes (self lost job) Yes(someone in family) Both No

May 2009 Roper 7% 21% 1% 70%
May 2010 Roper 8 21 1 69
In your opinion, what is the most important problem facing the U.S. today?
Economy (Net) Top Response

Feb. 2009 Ipsos/McClatchy 76% Economy (76%)
Oct. 2009 Ipsos/McClatchy 46 Economy (46)
Jan. 2010 Ipsos/McClatchy 48 Economy (48)
Mar. 2010 Ipsos/McClatchy 47 Economy (47)
Jul. 2010 Ipsos/McClatchy 48 Economy (48)
What do you think is the most important problem facing this country today?
Gallup
The Economy Unemployment/Jobs Top Response
Apr. 2009 48% 17% The economy
May 2009 47 14 The economy
Jun. 2009 41 14 The economy
Jul. 2009 38 19 The economy
Aug. 2009 33 14 The economy
Sept. 2009 29 15 The economy
Oct. 2009 26 17 The economy
Nov. 2009 31 20 The economy
Dec. 2009 26 16 The economy
Jan. 2010 25 22 The economy
Feb. 2010 31 31 The Economy & Unemployment Jobs
Mar. 2010 24 31 Unemployment/Jobs
Apr. 2010 23 30 Unemployment/Jobs
May 2010 26 22 The economy
Jun. 2010 28 21 The economy
Jul. 2010 31 22 The economy
Aug. 2010. 31 28 The economy
13
Job Security
Now I‘ll read a list of job characteristics. For each, please tell me how satisfied or dissatisfied you are with your current
job in this regard. First, are you completely satisfied, somewhat satisfied, somewhat dissatisfied, or completely
dissatisfied with job security?
Gallup
----------------------------------------------------Job Security----------------------------------------------------------
Completely satisfied Somewhat satisfied Somewhat dissatisfied Completely dissatisfied
1989 45% 42% 8% 3%
1991 35 44 12 7
1993 46 33 9 11
1998 52 35 6 6
1999 48 33 11 7
2001 54 30 8 7
2002 55 30 7 7
2003 48 35 7 8
2004 54 28 11 6
2005 52 31 9 7
2006 55 29 10 5
2007 56 31 6 6
2008 55 31 8 5
2009 50 30 10 8
2010 51 33 7 7
Note: Asked of those employed full or part time.
Let me read you several elements relating to the current economy. For each one, please tell me whether it is an area in
which you feel very satisfied, somewhat satisfied, somewhat dissatisfied, or very dissatisfied…your current job security?
NBC/WSJ
-------------------------------------------------Current Job Security----------------------------------------------------
Very satisfied Somewhat satisfied Somewhat dissatisfied Very dissatisfied
Mar. 1996 36% 37% 14% 12%
Jun. 1996 38 37 12 12
Sept. 1996 37 39 10 13
Dec. 1996 36 38 13 12
Mar. 1997 37 40 12 11
Jun. 1997 38 36 12 13
Sept. 1997 41 37 10 11
Dec. 1997 40 38 11 10
Dec. 1998 45 33 10 11
Apr. 2000 (RV) 46 35 9 9
Jan. 2009 35 35 14 15
Apr. 2009 32 36 13 17
Jul. 2009 30 30 15 24
Sept. 2009 36 30 16 17
Dec. 2009 33 34 14 18
Aug. 2010 33 32 15 19
Note: Asked of those employed.
How secure do you feel in your current job?
Very secure Fairly secure Not very secure Not at all secure
Jul. 2007 Zogby 48% 21% 4% 6%
Aug. 2007 Zogby 47 18 3 4
Sep. 2007 Zogby 44 20 3 3
Oct. 2007 Zogby 45 20 5 2
Nov. 2007 Zogby 45 20 4 5
Dec. 2007 Zogby 48 17 3 1
Jan. 2008 Zogby 43 21 7 6
14
Feb. 2008 Zogby 50 23 5 6
Mar. 2008 Zogby 41 20 7 8
Apr. 2008 Zogby 48 17 4 5
May 2008 Zogby 42 24 3 6
Jun. 2008 Zogby 43 21 5 4
Jul. 2008 Zogby 43 22 5 4
Aug. 2008 Zogby 42 19 6 6
Sep. 2008 Zogby 44 20 5 3
Oct. 2008 Zogby 42 24 6 7
Nov. 2008 Zogby 37 26 3 4
Dec. 2008 Zogby 37 23 6 8
Now I'll read a list of job characteristics. For each, please tell me how satisfied you are with your current job in this
regard. Are you completely satisfied, mostly satisfied, mostly dissatisfied, or completely dissatisfied with . . . your job
security?
Jun.-Jul. 2006 PSRA/Pew
Completely satisfied Somewhat satisfied Somewhat dissatisfied Completely dissatisfied

39% 46% 10% 4%
Thinking back over the last five years, which, if any, of the following have happened to you personally?
Aug. 2005 Gallup

Yes No
You were given a promotion 42% 58%
You left a job to work for a different company 41 59
You changed careers or made a significant change
in they type of work you do for a living 32 68
Your benefits were reduced 30 69
Your wages were reduced 19 81
You were laid off from a job 15 85
You were fired from a job 7 93
Do you think you would be happier in a different job?
Yes, happier No, not happier

Jun. 1955 Gallup 32% 63 %
Jul. 2006 Gallup/USA Today 31 63
Note: Sample is adults employed full or part-time.
Do you think you would be happier if you made more money?
Yes, happier No, not happier

Jul. 2006 Gallup/USA Today 73% 26%
Note: In 1955, 69 percent said they would be happier with more money; in 1965 64 percent gave the same response.
Sample is adults employed full or part-time.
In the last 12 months would you say you have felt more secure and confident that you can continue in your job as long as
you want, or less secure and confident, or has there been no change?
More Less No Change

Jul. 2010 CBS 14% 37% 47%
15
Outsourcing
Next, please indicate whether you are worried or not about each of the following happening to you, personally, in the
near future. How about that your company will move jobs to countries overseas?
Worried Not worried

Aug. 2003 Gallup 9% 89%
How concerned are you, that you, or a friend, or relative, might lose a job because the employer is moving that job to a
foreign country—very concerned, somewhat concerned, not too concerned, not at all concerned?

Mar. 2004 CNN/USA Today/Gallup 30% 17% 18% 34%
Personal Financial Worries:
Question wording is always important in polls. In Pew’s June 2010 question, 38 percent
described their own personal financial situation as excellent or good. In CBS News’s
question 65 percent said the financial situation of their household these days as very or
fairly good. Sixty-one percent in the AP/GfK Roper August poll said their financial
situation these days was good. Thirty-six percent said it was poor. Twenty-six percent in a
July Fox New/Opinion Dynamics question said they were getting ahead, 54 percent just
keeping up with their bills, and 18 percent falling behind.
In a Gallup battery asked in the spring every year since 2001, views about different items in
one’s current financial situation such as being able to pay the minimum on credit card bills
or not having enough money to pay normal bills are more generally pessimistic in recent
years than they were earlier in the decade.
Anxiety about prospects for retirement has clearly risen in the past few years. In 2001,
when Gallup asked non-retired people whether they would have enough money in
retirement to live comfortably, 59 percent said they would. In 2010, that response was 46
percent. Those in retirement seem less concerned.
How would you rate your own personal financial situation? Would you say you are in excellent shape, good shape, only
fair shape or poor shape financially?
Excellent Good Only fair Poor

Jan. 1992 US News 4% 32% 45% 18%
May 1992 US News 4 35 45 15
Aug. 1992 US News 5 30 47 17
Oct. 1992 US News 6 34 40 19
Jan. 1993 US News 4 33 46 16
16
Dec. 1993 PSRA/Pew 5 34 45 15
Mar. 1994 PSRA/Pew 5 41 40 13
Feb. 1995 PSRA/Pew 8 39 38 14
Sep. 1996* PSRA/Pew 8 47 34 10
May 1997 PSRA/Pew 7 43 38 11
Aug. 1999 PSRA/Pew 6 43 41 9
Jun. 2000 PSRA/Pew 9 43 35 11
Jun. 2001 PSRA/Pew 6 38 39 16
Sep. 2001 PSRA/Pew 7 40 37 14
Jun. 2002 PSRA/Pew 5 40 37 16
Oct. 2002 PSRA/Pew 7 39 37 16
Jan. 2003 PSRA/Pew 7 38 39 15
Mar. 2003 PSRA/Pew 10 43 31 12
Sep. 2003 PSRA/Pew 10 38 36 15
Aug. 2004 PSRA/Pew 9 42 34 14
Jan. 2005 PSRA/Pew 10 41 34 14
May 2005 PSRA/Pew 7 37 39 16
Jan. 2006 PSRA/Pew 7 39 37 15
Mar. 2006 PSRA/Pew 9 39 36 15
Oct. 2006 PSRA/Pew 9 40 33 16
Dec. 2006 PSRA/Pew 8 40 35 16
Feb. 2007 PSRA/Pew 8 41 36 14
Sep. 2007 PSRA/Pew 10 38 34 16
Nov. 2007 PSRA/Pew 9 41 34 15
Jan. 2008 PSRA/Pew 10 39 34 15
Feb. 2008 PSRA/Pew 9 36 37 16
Mar. 2008 PSRA/Pew 8 39 34 17
Apr. 2008 PSRA/Pew 8 35 39 16
Jul. 2008 PSRA/Pew 9 33 37 19
Oct. 2008 PSRA/Pew 6 35 40 18
Dec. 2008 PSRA/Pew 6 32 40 21
Feb. 2009 PSRA/Pew 5 33 41 20
Jun. 2009 PSRA/Pew 6 32 39 22
Aug. 2009 PSRA/Pew 6 31 36 26
Sept/Oct. 2009 PSRA/Pew 6 32 38 22
Oct/Nov. 2009 PSRA/Pew 5 30 40 25
Dec. 2009 PSRA/Pew 7 28 39 24
Mar. 2010 PSRA/Pew 6 31 39 22
Jun. 2010 PSRA/Pew 6 32 38 20
Note: *Asked of registered voters.
How would you rate the financial situation in your household these days? Is it very good, fairly good, fairly bad, or very
bad?
Very good Fairly good Fairly bad Very bad

Nov. 1988 CBS/NYT 12% 69% 13% 5%
Oct. 1990 CBS/NYT 14 70 11 4
Jul. 2006 CBS/NYT 12 64 17 5
Apr. 2007 CBS 14 69 13 4
Feb. 2008 CBS/NYT 18 60 15 6
Mar-Apr. 2008 CBS/NYT 9 63 20 7
Jul. 2008 CBS/NYT 13 61 19 7
Aug. 2008 CBS/NYT 15 56 20 8
Jan. 2009 CBS/NYT 10 63 19 8
Feb. 2009 CBS/NYT 12 55 21 11
Apr. 2009 CBS/NYT 10 56 21 12
Dec. 2009 CBS/NYT 13 56 20 11
Feb. 2009 CBS/NYT 12 55 21 11
Apr. 2009 CBS/NYT 10 56 21 12
Feb. 2010 CBS/NYT 9 58 24 8
Apr. 2010 CBS/NYT 9 64 16 9
17
May 2010 CBS 10 59 23 7
Jun. 2010 CBS/NYT 10 56 25 8
Jul. 2010 CBS 11 54 25 10
Thinking about your household‘s financial condition, do you expect it to be better or worse in the next six months?
Better Will remain the same Worse

Feb. 2008 Harris Interactive 39% 28% 34%
Mar. 2008 Harris Interactive 33 28 39
Jun. 2008 Harris Interactive 40 25 36
Nov. 2008 Harris Interactive 24 43 33
Jan. 2009 Harris Interactive 20 48 32
Apr. 2009 Harris Interactive 23 46 31
May 2009 Harris Interactive 25 45 30
Aug. 2009 Harris Interactive 24 48 28
Sept. 2009 Harris Interactive 23 48 29
Oct. 2009 Harris Interactive 23 45 31
Nov. 2009 Harris Interactive 18 47 35
Dec. 2009 Harris Interactive 19 48 33
Jan. 2010 Harris Interactive 21 49 30
Apr. 2010 Harris Interactive 22 50 29
May 2010 Harris Interactive 25 47 28
Would you describe the financial situation in your household these days as good, poor, or neither good nor poor?
Good Neither Poor

Sept. 2008 Gfk/Roper 61% 8% 30%
Jul. 2009 Gfk/Roper 56 6 37
Sept. 2009 Gfk/Roper 58 5 37
Oct. 2009 Gfk/Roper 60 5 35
Nov. 2009 Gfk/Roper 59 7 34
Dec. 2009 Gfk/Roper 61 4 34
Jan. 2010 Gfk/Roper 60 3 37
Mar. 2010 Gfk/Roper 62 4 33
Apr. 2010 Gfk/Roper 59 3 38
May 2010 Gfk/Roper 60 7 33
Jun. 2010 Gfk/Roper 64 6 30
Aug. 2010 Gfk/Roper 61 3 36
Which best describes your current financial situation? Are you: getting ahead, just able to pay most bills, or falling
behind?
Getting Just able to Falling
ahead pay most bills behind
Apr. 2007 Fox/OD 31% 51% 15%
Dec. 2007 Fox/OD 41 45 11
Sep. 2008 Fox/OD 23 57 17
Sept. 2009 Fox/OD 27 54 17
Jul. 2010 Fox/OD 26 54 18
In the last 12 months, as a result of bad economic conditions, have your salary or wages been reduced, or not?
Yes No
Jul. 2010 CBS 31% 69%
18
Next, please tell me how concerned you are right now about each of the following financial matters, based on your
current financial situation – are you very worried, moderately worried, not too worried, or not worried at all. If a
particular item does not apply to you please say so. First, how worried are you about…?
Very Moderately Not too Not worried

worried worried worried at all
Not being able to pay your rent,
mortgage or other housing costs
Apr. 2001 Gallup 10% 14% 28% 44%
Apr. 2002 Gallup 8 14 26 47
Apr. 2003 Gallup 11 14 27 43
Apr. 2004 Gallup 11 13 26 42
Apr. 2005 Gallup 10 13 30 43
Apr. 2006 Gallup 11 16 29 37
Apr. 2007 Gallup 11 15 31 38
Apr. 2008 Gallup 18 18 24 35
Apr. 2009 Gallup 17 18 26 33
Apr. 2010 Gallup 18 20 28 28
Not being able to maintain the

standard of living you enjoy
Apr. 2001 Gallup 16% 27% 30% 26%
Apr. 2002 Gallup 12 23 31 32
Apr. 2003 Gallup 14 24 32 29
Apr. 2004 Gallup 16 23 29 31
Apr. 2005 Gallup 14 27 31 28
Apr. 2006 Gallup 18 31 28 22
Apr. 2007 Gallup 18 23 32 26
Apr. 2008 Gallup 25 30 24 20
Sep. 2008 Gallup 24 32 24 19
Apr. 2009 Gallup 21 32 28 18
Apr. 2010 Gallup 23 31 30 15

Not being able to make the minimum
payments on your credit cards
Apr. 2001 Gallup 9% 9% 22% 41%
Apr. 2002 Gallup 7 8 21 48
Apr. 2003 Gallup 7 9 21 47
Apr. 2004 Gallup 7 10 22 46
Apr. 2005 Gallup 7 9 22 45
Apr. 2006 Gallup 9 8 24 41
Apr. 2007 Gallup 9 9 23 41
Apr. 2008 Gallup 11 12 19 42
Sep. 2008 Gallup 13 12 19 39
Apr. 2009 Gallup 10 13 20 37
Apr. 2010 Gallup 11 13 21 37
Not having enough to pay

your normal monthly bills
Apr. 2001 Gallup 12% 20% 29% 39%
Apr. 2002 Gallup 11 19 27 42
Apr. 2003 Gallup 12 18 29 40
Apr. 2004 Gallup 12 20 28 39
Apr. 2005 Gallup 13 17 32 37
Apr. 2006 Gallup 14 24 30 30
Apr. 2007 Gallup 14 19 32 34
Apr. 2008 Gallup 20 24 25 30
Sep. 2008 Gallup 20 24 24 30
Apr. 2009 Gallup 19 25 26 28
Apr. 2010 Gallup 18 26 28 26
19
Not being able to get a loan to pay
for a home, car, tuition, or business
Sep. 2008 Gallup 20% 15% 22% 33%
Not being able to pay medical costs

for normal health care
Apr. 2003 Gallup 17% 20% 24% 36%
Apr. 2004 Gallup 21 16 25 36
Apr. 2005 Gallup 23 18 24 32
Apr. 2006 Gallup 23 22 26 27
Apr. 2007 Gallup 21 15 31 30
Apr. 2008 Gallup 23 21 24 29
Dec. 2008 Gallup 24 22 24 27
Apr. 2009 Gallup 26 20 28 26
Apr. 2010 Gallup 22 26 27 21
Right now, do you have enough money to live comfortably, or not.
Yes No
Apr. 2002 Gallup 75% 24%
When you retire, do you think you will have enough money to live comfortably, or not?
Non-retired Adults
------------Right Now--------- ------------When you retire--------
Yes, have enough No Yes, will have enough No
Apr. 2002 Gallup 75% 24 % 59% 32%
Apr. 2003 Gallup 73 26 59 36
Apr. 2004 Gallup 74 25 59 35
Apr. 2005 Gallup 72 28 53 40
Apr. 2006 Gallup 71 28 50 43
Apr. 2007 Gallup 73 26 53 42
Apr. 2008 Gallup 69 30 46 44
Apr. 2009 Gallup 65 33 41 52
Apr. 2010 Gallup 68 31 46 48
Think about your household income, would you say that it is more than enough so that you can save and buy some
extras, just enough to meet your bills and obligations, or it is not enough to meet your bills and obligations?
Save and Just Not

buy extras enough enough
Mar. 1996 CBS/NYT 27% 55% 16%
May 1996 CBS/NYT 24 57 19
Jan. 2005 CBS 33 48 17
Jul. 2006 CBS 35 52 12
Sep. 2006 CBS/NYT 34 51 15
Oct. 2006 CBS/NYT 36 46 17
Nov. 2006 CBS/NYT 38 44 17
Feb. 2007 CBS/NYT 37 49 13
Dec. 2007 CBS/NYT 35 51 13
Jan-Feb. 2008 CBS 33 46 21
Feb. 2008 CBS/NYT 38 46 13
Apr. 2008 CBS/NYT 27 48 23
May-Jun. 2008 CBS 33 47 18
20
Sep. 2008 CBS/NYT 37 44 17
Oct. 2008 CBS/NYT 30 51 18
Late Oct. 2008 CBS/NYT 29 51 20
Dec. 2008 CBS 31 49 19
Jan. 2009 CBS/NYT 29 53 17
Feb. 2009 CBS/NYT 27 55 17
Apr. 2009 CBS/NYT 29 49 22
Late Apr. 2009 CBS/NYT 29 47 23
May 2009 CBS/NYT 26 52 22
June 2009 CBS/NYT 28 49 22
Jul. 2009 CBS 25 45 28
Jan. 2010 CBS 22 53 25
Feb. 2010 CBS/NYT 25 57 17
How much have you been affected personally by the downturn in the economy––a great deal, quite a bit, just
some, or not at all?
Affected a
great deal Quite a bit Some Not at all
Jan. 2001 NBC/WSJ 12% 12% 40% 36%
Jan. 2009 NBC/WSJ 22 20 42 16
Feb. 2009 NBC/WSJ 23 20 42 15
Apr. 2009 NBC/WSJ 23 23 41 13
Mar. 2010 NBC/WSJ 25 23 40 12
Gallup Financial Well Being Index
Those that say they have ―more than enough money to do what you want to do‖
Jun. 2009 Gallup 33%
Jul. 2009 Gallup 32
Aug.2009 Gallup 33
Sept. 2009 Gallup 31
Oct. 2009 Gallup 32
Nov. 2009 Gallup 34
Dec. 2009 Gallup 34
Jan. 2010 Gallup 32
Feb. 2010 Gallup 33
Mar. 2010 Gallup 32
Apr. 2010 Gallup 34
May 2010 Gallup 33
Do not have enough money to buy the things they need

Jun. 2009 Gallup 22%
July 2009 Gallup 22
Aug. 2009 Gallup 24
Sept. 2009 Gallup 24
Oct. 2009 Gallup 23
Nov. 2009 Gallup 24
Dec. 2009 Gallup 25
Jan. 2010 Gallup 22
Feb. 2010 Gallup 21
Mar. 2010 Gallup 22
Apr. 2010 Gallup 21
May 2010 Gallup 20
Over the course of the next year, do you think the financial situation of you and your family will improve a lot, improve
some, get a little worse, or get a lot worse?
Improve a lot Improve a little Get a little worse Get a lot worse
Jan. 1992 US News 9% 46% 19% 5%
May 1992 US News 8 49 22 4
Aug. 1992 US News 6 50 20 5
21
Oct. 1992 US News 9 51 14 3
Mar. 1994 PSRA/Pew 10 57 11 3
Feb. 1995 PSRA/Pew 11 53 13 3
May 1997 PSRA/Pew 12 56 10 2
Jun. 2000 PSRA/Pew 17 55 7 3
Jan. 2001 PSRA/Pew 11 46 18 9
Jun. 2001 PSRA/Pew 11 52 15 4
Sep. 2001 PSRA/Pew 9 46 16 4
Jan. 2002 PSRA/Pew 12 53 15 5
Jun. 2002 PSRA/Pew 11 55 15 4
Oct. 2002 PSRA/Pew 10 54 13 5
Jan. 2003 PSRA/Pew 9 51 18 5
Mar. 2003 PSRA/Pew 12 51 15 4
Sep. 2003 PSRA/Pew 11 53 15 4
Aug. 2004 PSRA/Pew 13 57 9 3
Jan. 2005 PSRA/Pew 10 54 14 4
May 2005 PSRA/Pew 10 51 15 5
Jan. 2006 PSRA/Pew 10 51 14 5
Dec. 2006 PSRA/Pew 10 57 13 3
Feb. 2007 PSRA/Pew 11 52 12 3
Sep. 2007 PSRA/Pew 10 52 14 4
Jan. 2008 PSRA/Pew 11 49 16 6
Mar. 2008 PSRA/Pew 10 45 20 7
Jul. 2008 PSRA/Pew 7 44 21 7
Oct. 2008 PSRA/Pew 8 51 20 6
Dec. 2008 PSRA/Pew 7 49 21 6
Feb. 2009 PSRA/Pew 7 47 22 7
Jun. 2009* PSRA/Pew 9 54 17 7
Aug. 2009 PSRA/Pew 8 47 17 8
Sept/Oct. 2009 PSRA/Pew 10 49 17 6
Oct/Nov. 2009 PSRA/Pew 6 50 19 8
Dec. 2009 PSRA/Pew 9 44 19 8
Mar. 2010 PSRA/Pew 9 52 15 8
May 2010 PSRA/Pew 10 52 14 5
Note: *Category ‗Improve a little‘ changed to ‗Improve some‘.
How would you rate your own personal financial situation?
Excellent Good Fair Poor

Jul. 2007 Zogby 14% 43% 32% 10%
Aug. 2007 Zogby 12 48 29 11
Sep. 2007 Zogby 12 44 31 12
Oct. 2007 Zogby 10 45 32 13
Nov. 2007 Zogby 10 45 33 11
Dec. 2007 Zogby 11 44 32 13
Jan. 2008 Zogby 12 40 33 13
Feb. 2008 Zogby 12 44 28 15
Mar. 2008 Zogby 9 37 37 17
Apr. 2008 Zogby 9 44 32 15
May 2008 Zogby 7 39 40 14
Jun. 2008 Zogby 11 39 35 14
Jul. 2008 Zogby 8 41 34 16
Aug. 2008 Zogby 8 39 38 14
Sep. 2008 Zogby 10 43 35 12
Oct. 2008 Zogby 7 40 37 15
Nov. 2008 Zogby 8 40 35 16
Dec. 2008 Zogby 7 41 33 20
22
How would you rate your personal financial situation – excellent, good, only fair, or poor?
Excellent Good Only fair Poor

Apr. 2003 Fox/OD 9% 46% 33% 10%
Jun.-Jul. 2003 Fox/OD 9 48 29 12
Sep. 2003 Fox/OD 5 39 38 16
Nov. 2003 Fox/OD 7 40 37 13
Mar. 2004 Fox/OD 14 48 27 10
Jun. 2004 Fox/OD 14 48 25 11
Aug. 2004 Fox/OD 13 45 30 10
Sep. 2004 Fox/OD 15 44 27 10
Oct. 2004 Fox/OD 16 47 27 8
Dec. 2004 Fox/OD 7 43 35 13
Dec. 2005 Fox/OD 8 40 34 16
Apr. 2006 Fox/OD 10 36 35 17
Jan. 2008 Fox/OD 11 45 32 12
Apr. 2009 Fox/OD 8 37 38 15
A year from now, do you think your personal financial situation will be better or worse?
Better Worse Same (vol.)

Aug. 2001 Fox/OD 49% 19% 24%
Jul. 2002 Fox/OD 57 19 21
Apr. 2003 Fox/OD 63 9 22
Jun.-Jul. 2003 Fox/OD 56 12 27
Sep. 2003 Fox/OD 53 14 26
Dec. 2003 Fox/OD 57 14 24
Dec. 2004 Fox/OD 51 16 27
Dec. 2005 Fox/OD 48 17 30
Jan. 2008 Fox/OD 47 13 32
Rate your current financial situation, using a scale from 1 to 7, where 7 means your personal financial situation is very
strong today and 1 means it is very weak.
Very Strong Very Weak

Seven Six Five Four Three Two One
Sep. 2005 RBC/Ipsos 11% 17% 25% 20% 11% 6% 9%
Oct. 2006 RBC/Ipsos 9 14 29 21 12 5 9
Nov. 2005 RBC/Ipsos 8 17 29 18 12 6 9
Dec. 2005 RBC/Ipsos 10 15 30 18 10 4 11
Jan. 2006 RBC/Ipsos 8 18 30 16 13 5 9
Feb. 2006 RBC/Ipsos 11 17 29 19 8 5 9
Mar. 2006 RBC/Ipsos 10 16 31 17 10 5 9
Apr. 2006 RBC/Ipsos 10 14 29 20 13 5 8
May 2006 RBC/Ipsos 11 14 30 18 10 5 11
Jun. 2006 RBC/Ipsos 10 17 29 15 12 5 11
Jul. 2006 RBC/Ipsos 10 16 28 18 12 5 9
Aug. 2006 RBC/Ipsos 14 13 30 16 11 6 9
Sep. 2006 RBC/Ipsos 12 21 26 19 7 3 10
Nov. 2006 RBC/Ipsos 11 16 29 18 11 4 10
Dec. 2006 RBC/Ipsos 10 14 27 20 14 4 10
Jan. 2007 RBC/Ipsos 9 16 29 16 13 5 10
Feb. 2007 RBC/Ipsos 11 18 30 16 11 7 6
Mar. 2007 RBC/Ipsos 11 15 28 21 11 3 10
Apr. 2007 RBC/Ipsos 10 16 28 18 12 6 9
May 2007 RBC/Ipsos 12 19 29 15 11 4 8
Jun. 2007 RBC/Ipsos 8 14 30 20 11 6 10
Jul. 2007 RBC/Ipsos 11 13 27 22 10 5 10
Aug. 2007 RBC/Ipsos 11 15 30 19 9 5 9
Sep. 2007 RBC/Ipsos 10 17 25 19 9 6 11
Oct. 2007 RBC/Ipsos 13 15 26 18 10 6 11
Nov. 2007 RBC/Ipsos 11 15 27 20 10 6 10
23
Dec. 2007 RBC/Ipsos 11 15 28 18 10 5 11
Jan. 2008 RBC/Ipsos 9 16 27 18 11 6 10
Feb. 2008 RBC/Ipsos 11 15 25 17 15 4 12
Mar. 2008 RBC/Ipsos 9 16 26 16 13 5 13
Apr. 2008 RBC/Ipsos 11 14 25 18 15 6 10
May-Jun. 2008 RBC/Ipsos 10 13 24 20 11 6 14
Jun. 26-29, 2008 RBC/Ipsos 10 12 23 16 14 7 16
Jul.-Aug. 2008 RBC/Ipsos 9 14 25 18 13 5 14
Sep. 2008 RBC/Ipsos 12 13 23 19 15 5 12
Oct. 2008 RBC/Ipsos 11 14 26 19 11 6 12
Nov. 2008 RBC/Ipsos 9 12 26 19 15 6 13
Dec. 2008 RBC/Ipsos 9 12 23 18 13 8 15
Jan. 2009 RBC/Ipsos 8 12 24 17 14 7 16
Feb. 2009 RBC/Ipsos 7 11 24 17 14 8 17
Mar. 2009 RBC/Ipsos 10 11 24 19 14 8 12
Apr. 2009 RBC/Ipsos 8 15 26 19 12 6 11
May 2009 RBC/Ipsos 10 15 25 16 13 8 11
Jun. 2009 RBC/Ipsos 9 9 23 23 15 6 12
Jul. 2009 RBC/Ipsos 9 11 25 20 14 7 13
Jul./Aug. 2009 RBC/Ipsos 8 13 25 20 13 10 8
Aug. 2009 RBC/Ipsos 9 12 24 15 16 7 15
Oct. 2009 RBC/Ipsos 9 13 29 21 11 5 11
Oct./Nov. 2009 RBC/Ipsos 9 11 28 18 15 5 13
Dec. 2009 RBC/Ipsos 8 13 27 17 14 7 11
Jan. 2010 RBC/Ipsos 12 14 25 17 10 7 15
Jan./Feb. 2010 RBC/Ipsos 11 11 23 19 14 5 16
Feb. 2010 RBC/Ipsos 10 15 27 17 10 6 14
How would you rate your own personal financial situation today? Would you say you are in excellent shape, good
shape, only fair shape, or poor shape?
Excellent shape Good shape Fair shape Poor shape

Nov. 1992 PSRA/Newsweek 6% 34% 40% 19%
Jan. 1993 PSRA/Newsweek 4 33 46 16
Dec. 1993 PSRA/Newsweek 5 34 45 15
Mar. 1994 PSRA/Newsweek 5 41 40 13
May 1997 PSRA/Newsweek 7 43 38 11
Sep. 1999 PSRA/Newsweek 6 43 41 9
Dec. 2000 PSRA/Newsweek 9 38 36 15
May 2003 PSRA/Newsweek 8 38 37 16
Nov. 2003 PSRA/Newsweek 9 41 34 15
Jan. 2009 PSRA/Newsweek 7 35 37 20
Looking ahead, over the next 12 months, do you think your own financial situation will get better, get worse, or stay
about the same?
Get better Get worse Stay about the same

Jan. 1996 PSRA/Newsweek 37% 8% 53%
Mar. 2000 PSRA/Newsweek 42 7 49
Dec. 2000 PSRA/Newsweek 45 6 44
Mar. 2001 PSRA/Newsweek 34 15 51
May 2003 PSRA/Newsweek 40 8 50
Nov. 2003 PSRA/Newsweek 36 8 54
Jan. 2009 PSRA/Newsweek 32 17 48
24
How satisfied are you with your own current financial situation today—are you very satisfied, somewhat satisfied,
somewhat dissatisfied, or very dissatisfied with your financial situation?
Very Somewhat Somewhat Very

satisfied satisfied dissatisfied dissatisfied
Dec. 1994 NBC/WSJ 13% 48% 24% 14%
Dec. 1996 NBC/WSJ 16 50 21 12
Mar. 1997 NBC/WSJ 17 48 20 14
Jun. 1997 NBC/WSJ 16 50 20 13
Sep. 1997 NBC/WSJ 19 49 17 14
Dec. 1997 NBC/WSJ 20 51 16 12
Sep. 1998 NBC/WSJ 26 52 17 7
Dec. 1998 NBC/WSJ 25 51 13 10
Sep. 1999 NBC/WSJ 22 50 18 10
Nov. 1999 NBC/WSJ 21 53 14 11
Apr. 2000 NBC/WSJ (RV) 25 51 13 10
Jan. 2001 NBC/WSJ 21 50 17 11
Jan. 2002 NBC/WSJ 19 50 19 12
Jul. 2002 NBC/WSJ 16 47 24 13
Nov. 2002 NBC/WSJ (RV) 18 40 23 19
Dec. 2002 NBC/WSJ 17 44 21 17
Jan. 2004 NBC/WSJ 19 50 18 13
Dec. 2007 NBC/WSJ 21 46 17 16
Apr. 2008 NBC/WSJ (RV) 17 42 20 21
Jan. 2009 NBC/WSJ 15 41 22 22
Feb.-Mar. 2009 NBC/WSJ 15 35 23 26
Apr. 2009 NBC/WSJ 14 44 22 19
Would you describe the state of your personal finances these days as secure or shaky?
LA Times/Bloomberg
Very Fairly Fairly Very

secure secure shaky shaky
Apr. 1991 13% 55% 20% 11%
Sep. 1991 11 54 22 11
Nov. 1991 11 52 22 14
Feb. 1992 13 49 22 15
Mar. 1992 13 54 19 12
Jul. 1992 13 51 21 13
Jan. 1993 9 48 24 18
Feb. 1993 9 52 23 14
Jun. 1993 10 50 23 16
Sep. 1993 11 52 19 17
Dec. 1993 10 50 23 16
Jan. 1994 11 50 23 15
Apr. 1994 10 51 24 14
Jul. 1994 14 49 23 12
Oct. 1994 12 57 16 13
Jan. 1995 12 55 21 11
Mar. 1995 13 54 19 12
Oct. 1995 11 54 20 13
Aug. 1996 13 54 18 14
Oct. 1996 13 55 18 12
Sep. 1997 14 51 19 14
Jan. 1999 15 59 16 8
May 2000 15 57 17 10
Jul. 2000 18 62 13 6
Aug. 2000 22 57 13 6
Sep. 2000 16 61 14 8
Mar. 2001 13 55 18 12
Nov. 2001 21 54 16 7
25
Feb. 2002 19 58 16 7
Aug. 2002 10 55 21 13
Dec. 2002 15 51 21 12
Feb. 2003 15 50 22 12
Jan. 2005 16 54 15 15
Jan. 2006 15 47 21 16
Mar. 2006 17 55 15 12
Jun. 2006 18 48 18 13
Dec. 2006 15 53 18 13
Jan. 2007 15 56 16 12
Apr. 2007 19 45 22 13
Nov. 2007 17 49 17 13
Jan. 2008 16 51 19 12
May 2008 13 44 21 16
Jun. 2008 13 48 20 17
Oct. 2008 14 46 18 19
Dec. 2008 13 42 23 19
Note: All askings prior to Jan. 2006 were done solely by the LA Times. The LA Times and Bloomberg began asking the
question together in Jan. 2006. Since then all askings have been done jointly by LA Times/Bloomberg with the
exception of the Jun. 2006 asking which was also done solely by the Times.
All in all, how financially secure do you feel?

secure secure insecure insecure
Jul. 2008 ABC/Wash Post 21% 42% 21% 15%
Dec. 2008 ABC/Wash Post 20 44 24 11
Sep. 2008 ABC/Wash Post 16 48 22 12
Feb. 2009 ABC/Wash Post 12 45 28 15
As you think about your own financial situation, which of the following economic issues worries you most right now?
PSRA/Pew
Worries me the most

Rising prices
Mar. 2008 49%
Oct. 2008 38
Dec. 2008 31
Feb. 2009 21
Mar. 2009 22
Aug. 2009 26
Sept/Oct. 2009 27
Problems in the financial markets

Mar. 2008 14%
Oct. 2008 31
Dec. 2008 29
Feb. 2009 21
Mar. 2009 21
Aug. 2009 14
Sept/Oct. 2009 14
The job situation

Mar. 2008 19%
Oct. 2008 18
Dec. 2008 26
Feb. 2009 45
Mar. 2009 42
Aug. 2009 44
Sept/Oct. 2009 46
26
Declining real estate values
Mar. 2008 12%
Oct. 2008 8
Dec. 2008 9
Feb. 2009 9
Mar. 2009 10
Aug. 2009 9
Sept/Oct. 2009 7
Thinking about your personal finances, have you done or not done any of the following lately?
PSRA/Pew
Yes, have done that No

Delayed or canceled plans to buy a new home or
make major home improvements
Dec. 2008 36% 63%
Feb. 2009 37 62
Jun. 2009 40 58
Aug. 2009 36 63
Dec. 2009 38 62
Delayed or canceled plans to buy a new car

Dec. 2008 33% 67%
Feb. 2009 37 62
Jun. 2009 36 63
Aug. 2009 38 62
Dec. 2009 36 63
Delayed or canceled plans to make a major purchase

For your household, such as a computer or appliance
Dec. 2008 44% 56%
Feb. 2009 44 55
Jun. 2009 40 59
Aug. 2009 42 58
Dec. 2009 43 56
Cut back on planned spending for a vacation

Dec. 2008 57% 42%
Feb. 2009 59 41
Jun. 2009 59 41
Aug. 2009 59 40
Dec., 2009 59 40
Adjusted your plans for retirement

Dec. 2008 27% 72%
Feb. 2009 29 70
Jun. 2009 30 69
Dec. 2009 32 66
Changed the way your money is saved or invested

Dec. 2008 48% 51%
Feb. 2009 53 46
Jun. 2009 57 42
Dec. 2009 52 46
Been out at restaurants less often

Dec. 2008 55% 44%
Feb. 2009 55 44
Jun. 2009* 56 44
Aug. 2009* 55 44
Dec. 2009* 56 44
27
Note: *Wording changed to ‗Been eating out at restraints less often‘.
Which one of the following statements best describes your own personal economic situation?
NBC/WSJ
I am in good shape. I am able to save and plan for the future

Mar. 2001 20%
Jan. 2004 23
Jul. 2008 18
I am okay. I am saving a little and I am able to provide for my needs

Mar. 2001 51%
Jan. 2004 51
Jul. 2008 47
I am barely getting by. I have to budget carefully and I am not able

to plan for the future
Mar. 2001 20%
Jan. 2004 17
Jul. 2008 23
I am falling behind. I have had to use savings or go further into debt

to pay my bills
Mar. 2001 6%
Jan. 2004 5
Jul. 2008 7
I am in serious financial trouble, and can‘t quite see how I am going

to make it
Mar. 2001 2%
Jan. 2004 3
Jul. 2008 4
Would you say you and your family live above your means or within your means?
Above Within Below (vol.)

Jan. 2009 Fox /OD 8% 85% 5%
Excluding mortgage debt, overall about how much are you personally in debt – that is, how much do you owe with
things like credit card bills, car loans, and student loans?
Jan. 2009 Fox/OD
Less than $10,001- $30,001- Over

Nothing $10,000 30,000 50,000 $50,000
27% 29% 21% 6% 5%
Thinking about the economic conditions that you and your family face, which one of the following has the greatest
effect on you personally?
NBC/WSJ
Apr. 2009 Dec. 2008 Oct. 2008 (late) Oct. 2008

Savings, such as the drop in the stock market or
savings for retirement 24% 25% 23% 7%
Inflation, such as the cost of groceries 14 21 15 21
Health care, such as the cost of health insurance
prescriptions 18 16 13 18
Employment, such as job security and wages 14 16 13 8
Energy, such as the cost of gasoline and utilities 11 11 25 37
Housing, such as home values and the mortgage market 9 9 9 6
28
Would you say this recession has hurt you financially, or not. If yes, is that a great deal or only somewhat?
Hurt a Hurt
great deal only somewhat Not hurt
Jun. 1991 ABC/Wash Post 16% 37% 46%
Dec. 2008 ABC/Wash Post 30 34 36
Jan. 2009 ABC/Wash Post 37 32 32
Feb. 2009 ABC/Wash Post 30 34 35
Sept. 2009 ABC/Wash Post 33 32 35
How concerned are you about being able to maintain your current standard of living – are you very worried, somewhat
worried, not so worried, or not worried at all?
Very Somewhat Not so Not worried

Worried worried worried at all
Dec. 2007 ABC/Wash Post 17% 34% 22% 27%
May 2008 ABC/Wash Post 28 40 16 15
Would you say you feel financially secure enough to provide sufficiently for your children, or don‘t you feel that way?
Feel secure Do not

Mar.-Apr. 2008 CNN/ORC 68% 30%
May 2009 CNN/ORC 64 32
Note: Asked of those who have children 18 years and younger.
Have recent price increases in gasoline caused any financial hardship for you or your household?
Caused hardship Has not

Feb. 2000 Gallup/CNN/USA Today 40% 60%
Apr. 2005 Gallup/CNN/USA Today 58 42
May 2005 Gallup/CNN/USA Today 59 41
Aug. 2005 Gallup/CNN/USA Today 69 31
Sep. 2005 Gallup/CNN/USA Today 61 38
Sep. 2005 Gallup/CNN/USA Today 72 28
Apr. 2006 CNN/ORC 69 28
May 2006 CNN/ORC 65 34
Aug. 2006 CNN/ORC 65 34
Apr. 2007 CNN/ORC 66 33
Nov. 2007 CNN/ORC 63 37
Mar. 2008 CNN/ORC 72 28
Apr. 2008 CNN/ORC 60 39
Jul. 2008 CNN/ORC 75 25
Sep. 2008 CNN/ORC 63 37
Jun. 2009 Gallup 56 44
How often do you worry that your total family income will not be enough to meet your family‘s expenses and bills – all
of the time, most of the time, some of the time, or almost never?
All the Most of Some of

time the time the time Almost never
Jan.-Jun. 1976 Gallup 13% 13% 36% 38%
Jan. 1984 Gallup 20 15 30 34
Jan. 1987 Gallup 15 16 38 30
Jun. 1989 Gallup 13 13 35 38
Apr.-May 1998 Gallup 9 12 44 34
Dec. 2002-Feb. 2003 Gallup 12 14 37 36
Jun. 2004 Gallup 15 10 36 38
Jun. 2005 Gallup 18 11 43 28
Jun. 2006 Gallup 20 12 35 32
29
Jun. 2007 Gallup 21 13 37 28
Jun. 2008 Gallup 20 17 34 29
In looking at the next twelve months, do you think that it will be a time of economic expansion for you and your family
and an opportunity to move ahead, or do you think that it will be a time to hold back and save because harder times are
ahead?
Time of expansion/ Time to hold back/

opportunity harder time ahead
Dec. 1998 NBC/WSJ 32% 57%
Jan. 2001 NBC/WSJ 29 60
Mar. 2001 NBC/WSJ 32 56
Jan. 2005 NBC/WSJ 40 51
May 2005 NBC/WSJ 30 61
Dec. 2005 NBC/WSJ 29 60
Jan. 2008 NBC/WSJ 19 70
For you and your family, does it feel like the economy is getting better or worse?
Better Worse Same

Oct. 2003 Fox/OD 35% 45% 18%
Jan. 2004 Fox/OD 44 34 19
Feb. 2004 Fox/OD 36 41 21
May 2004 Fox/OD 31 49 17
Apr. 2006 Fox/OD 21 56 20
Oct. 2007 Fox/OD 22 53 23
Oct. 2009 Fox/OD 37 43 19
May 2010 Fox/OD 36 38 24
Note: Samples are registered voters. ―The same‖ responses are volunteered.
For each of the following items I read, please tell me whether you feel very confident about it, somewhat confident, not
very confident, not at all confident.
Fox/OD
Very Somewhat Not very Not at

confident confident confident all confident
About the future security of your job
Oct. 1999 62% 25% 8% 3%
Oct. 2007 51 31 9 5
Sep. 2008 37 27 10 5
Mar. 2009 32 28 10 5
About your own personal financial future
May 1999 36 47 11 2
Jan. 2001 32 50 10 4
Jan. 2002 36 45 11 3
Jun. 2003 26 48 17 6
Oct. 2007 37 43 13 6
Sep. 2008 32 49 12 4
Mar. 2009 32 47 13 6
About making decisions about your
personal financial investments
Oct. 2007 46 34 11 6
Sep. 2008 36 40 16 5
Mar.2009 39 35 14 9
In the U.S. stock market
Mar. 2002 18 35 19 15
Apr. 2003 12 34 24 19
Oct. 2003 17 43 21 12
Oct. 2007 21 44 17 10
Sep. 2008 8 38 28 20
30
Mar. 2009 11 30 31 21
That you are saving enough money
for your retirement
Oct. 2007 29 33 17 16
Now I‘m going to read a few more pairs of statements. Again, just tell me whether the first statement or the second
statement comes closer to your own views—even if neither is exactly right. The first pair…I often don‘t have enough
money to make ends meet, or paying the bills is generally not a problem for me. Do you feel strongly about that, or not?
Often don‘t have Paying bills

enough money to generally not a
make ends meet problem for me
Jul. 1994 PSRA/Pew 36% 63%
Aug. 1999 PSRA/Pew 29 68
Sep. 2000 PSRA/Pew 37 59
For each statement, please tell me if you completely agree with it, mostly agree with it, mostly disagree with it, or
completely disagree with it. I often don‘t have enough money to make ends meet.
Agree Disagree
May 1988 PSRA/Pew 45 54
Nov. 1991 PSRA/Pew 51 48
Jun. 1992 PSRA/Pew 52 47
Mar. 2007 PSRA/Pew 44 54
Apr. 2009 PSRA/Pew 42 55
Note: Responses combined.
Which best describes your family‘s financial situation? Do you feel as if you are getting ahead financially, have just
enough money to maintain your standard of living, or are falling behind financially?
Getting ahead Just enough Falling behind

Oct. 2006 ABC/Wash Post 24% 52% 23%
Nov. 2006* ABC/Wash Post 28 48 23
Sep. 2007 ABC/Wash Post 26 53 20
Jan. 2008 ABC/Wash Post 21 61 17
Note: * Registered voters.
Thinking of your own financial situation just now, do you feel you are in a good position to buy some of the things you
would like to have, or is now a rather bad time for you to spend money?
Good Bad
Mar-Apr. 1978 Gallup 28% 55%
Sep. 2001 Gallup 43 53
31
How concerned are you that you will have enough money to pay for major expenses, for example, health care tuition,
buying a home, and retirement? Are you very concerned, somewhat concerned, not very concerned, or not at all
concerned?

Jan. 2005 CBS/NYT 38% 29% 19% 14%
Sep. 2006 CBS/NYT 44 34 13 9
Apr. 2007 CBS 46 33 14 7
In general, how easy is it for you to afford the things in life that you want – very easy, easy, difficult, or very difficult?
Very easy Easy Difficult Very difficult

Jan. 1992 US News & World Report 4% 35% 46% 12%
Jun. 2001 PSRA/Pew 7 43 36 12
Jun. 2002 PSRA/Pew 5 44 37 11
Feb. 2008 PSRA/Pew 9 43 33 12
Oct. 2008 PSRA/Pew 8 41 37 11
Dec. 2008 PSRA/Pew 6 37 40 15
How easy or difficult is it for you and your family to afford ____ -- very easy, easy, difficult, or very difficult?
Very easy Easy Difficult Very difficult

Food
Jan. 1992 US News 7% 68% 21% 3%
May 1992 US News 12 66 18 3
Aug. 1992 US News 11 65 18 5
Feb. 2008 PSRA/Pew 14 57 22 5
Jul. 2008 PSRA/Pew 10 50 30 8
Dec. 2008 PSRA/Pew 9 60 25 4
Health care
Jan. 1992 US News 6% 43% 29% 16%
May 1992 US News 10 42 29 15
Aug. 1992 US News 7 39 32 19
Feb. 2008 PSRA/Pew 11 39 29 16
Jul. 2008 PSRA/Pew 9 40 30 16
Dec. 2008 PSRA/Pew 7 44 29 16
Taxes
Jan. 1992 US News 2% 33% 45% 13%
May 1992 US News 4 30 46 15
Aug. 1992 US News 3 32 43 17
Feb. 2008 PSRA/Pew 6 36 37 14
Jul. 2008 PSRA/Pew 5 35 40 12
Dec. 2008 PSRA/Pew 3 38 41 11
Saving for retirement

Jan. 1992 US News 2% 22% 37% 23%
May 1992 US News 2 21 38 24
Aug. 1992 US News 3 22 36 29
Feb. 2008 PSRA/Pew 5 28 34 22
Jul. 2008 PSRA/Pew 5 23 37 22
Dec. 2008 PSRA/Pew 2 23 39 25
Your home heating and electric bills

Jan. 1992 US News 4% 55% 31% 7%
May 1992 US News 9 54 28 6
Aug. 1992 US News 7 54 29 8
Feb. 2008 PSRA/Pew 8 44 33 11
Jul. 2008 PSRA/Pew 6 41 38 11
Dec. 2008 PSRA/Pew 7 46 32 10
32
Gasoline
Feb. 2008 PSRA/Pew 5% 30% 38% 22%
Jul. 2008 PSRA/Pew 4 23 42 26
Dec. 2008 PSRA/Pew 10 57 21 6
Have there been times during the last year when you did not have enough money to buy food your family needed?
Yes No
Jan.-Jun. 1976 Gallup 14% 86%
Apr.-May 1998 Gallup 11 89
Dec.-Feb. 2003 Gallup 13 86
Note: In the June 2007 survey, 10 percent of whites said yes, 36 percent of blacks, and 39 percent of Hispanics also
said yes.
Thinking about the next 12 months, would you say you feel optimistic or pessimistic about your own family‘s financial
situation?
Optimistic Pessimistic
Dec. 2005 ABC/Wash Post 73 26
May 2006 ABC/Wash Post 79 20
Apr. 2008 ABC/Wash Post 65 32
Sep. 2008 ABC/Wash Post 61 34
Apr. 2009 ABC/Wash Post 66 31
How do you feel about your own family‘s financial situation – very worried, somewhat worried, not too worried, not
worried at all?
Very Somewhat Not too Not worried

Sep. 2008 ABC/Wash Post 22% 38% 26% 14%
Early Oct. 2008 ABC/Wash Post 23 43 22 11
Mid Oct. 2008 ABC/Wash Post 24 43 21 12
Jan. 2009 ABC/Wash Post 27 43 20 10
Jul. 2009 ABC/Wash Post 23 41 25 12
Oct. 2009 ABC/Wash Post 23 37 24 16
Have you personally tried to reduce your household and personal spending because of concern about the economy?
Yes, reduced No
Feb. 2001 Fox/OD 39% 58%
Mar. 2001 Fox/OD 37 61
Oct. 2001 Fox/OD 32 67
Apr. 2003 Fox/OD 50 49
Apr. 2008 Fox/OD 75 24
Feb. 2009 Fox/OD 79 21
33
In the past couple of years, would you say you have been getting ahead financially, just staying even financially, or
falling behind financially?
Getting ahead Staying even Falling behind

Jan. 1998 CBS 31% 48% 20%
Apr. 2007 CBS 21 50 27
Mar.-Apr. 2008 CBS/NYT 23 48 28
Is your financial situation a major cause of stress in your life, a minor cause, or not a cause of stress in your life?
Major cause Minor cause Not a cause

Oct. 1997 ABC/Wash Post 23% 41% 35%
Jul. 2008 ABC/Wash Post 23 42 34
How much difficulty would you have if you had to pay an unexpected bill of one thousand dollars right away – a lot, a
little, not much, or none at all?
A lot A little Not much None at all

Jun. 1996 CBS 44% 26% 12% 17%
Apr. 2007 CBS 43 24 15 17
What is your biggest personal economic concern right now? Paying everyday bills, or paying for healthcare or saving for
retirement or something else?
Mar.-Apr. 2008 CBS/NYT
Every day bills 29%

Retirement 25
Healthcare 24
College tuition (vol.) 4
Paying for gas (vol.) 2
Note: Only the top five responses are shown.
How concerned are you about being able to afford your children‘s college tuition – very concerned, somewhat
concerned, or not at all concerned?
Very Somewhat Not at all

concerned concerned concerned
Mar.-Apr. 2008 CBS/NYT 70% 24% 6%
Note: Asked of parents with children under age eighteen.
How would you describe your household‘s financial situation? Would you say you?
Meet your basic

expenses with a Don‘t have
little left over Just meet your enough to meet
Live comfortably for extras basic expenses basic expenses
Jan.-Feb. 2008 PSRA/Pew 38% 32% 22% 7%
Mar. 2008 PSRA/Pew 39 31 21 7
Jul. 2009 PSRA/Pew 33 27 26 11
May 2010 PSRA/Pew 30 30 27 11
Which of the following best describes you: you do not have any credit cards, you have at least one credit card but you do
not owe any money on them except for purchases in the last 30 days, or you have at least one credit card and you owe
money for purchases made more than 30 days ago?
Have one and do Have one and

No credit cards not owe money do owe money
Mar. 2008 CNN/ORC 25% 39% 35%
34
Roughly how much do you owe on all your credit cards?
Mar. 2008 CNN/ORC
Zero 64%
Under $1,000 5
$1,000-$3,000 9
$3,001-$8,000 10
Over $8,000 8
Median credit card debt (among those who owe): $4,000
Note: Sample is a full national sample—not a subset of the previous question.
Thinking about the money you owe on credit cards and installment loans (excluding your mortgage), would you say
you?
PSRA/Pew
Owe lot more Owe little more Owe about Owe less than Do not have No cards or
than can afford than can afford what can afford can afford any debt loans
Jan. 1992 7% 14% 32% 19% 16% 11%
Jun. 2001 13 15 31 18 12 10
Feb. 2004 9 13 29 23 20 5
May 2005 10 15 33 22 13 5
Jan. 2006 8 15 30 24 15 6
Sep. 2007 7 13 31 26 15 6
Feb. 2008 9 13 32 22 12 9
Jul. 2008 10 12 34 20 16 6
Oct. 2008 10 15 33 22 13 6
Note: The 1992 asking was done by U.S News and World Report.
First, what, if anything, worries you most about your personal financial situation in the . . . ?
Sep. 2007 Gallup

Worry about my personal financial situation in the
Short-term Long-term
Income is not enough to meet expenses 11% 7%
Health insurance/cost of healthcare 9 13
Job security concerns/possible loss of job 7 3
Rising cost of living/inflation 6 7
Housing costs 4 4
College expenses 4 6
Taxes 3 3
Debt (non-specific) 3 2
Social Security benefits 3 8
Stock market downturn/crash 3 4
Recession 2 3
Paying mortgage/rent 2 --
Gas prices 2 --
Interest rates 2 --
Energy/home heating prices 1 --
Credit card debt 1 --
Retirement savings/retirement income -- 18
Note: Wordings slightly varied between short term and long term.
35
I am going to read you a series of statements about several issues. After each one I read, please tell me if you agree,
disagree or if you neither agree, nor disagree.
Public Opinion Strategies (R)/Greenberg, Quinlan, Rosner (D) Apr. 2006
Completely Somewhat Somewhat Completely

agree agree disagree disagree Neither
Sometimes because I am short of money
I fall behind on my monthly payments
and pay bills late 15% 14% 9% 57% 4%
I have checked my credit rating online or
ordered a credit report in the past year 37 7 9 40 4
Frequently because I am short of money
I fall behind on my monthly payments
and pay bills late 10 13 10 60 5
Thinking now about your own personal finances, compared to a year ago, would you say your personal economic
situation is…?
Neither better
Better nor worse Worse
Aug. 2007 Harris Interactive 32% 31% 32%
Note: Sample is an online national adults.
In general, when you think of your financial situation would you say you are…?
Worried Not worried

Aug. 2007 Harris Interactive 56% 44%
Note: Sample is an online national adults.
How would you rate your personal financial situation? Do you feel as if you: 1) Are getting ahead financially 2. Have
just enough money to maintain your standard of living 3. Are falling behind financially?
Getting Maintaining Falling

ahead standard of living behind
Oct. 2006 Fox/OD 29% 53% 17%
If you had to choose, what would you say is the most important cause of stress in your life?
Your job Your finances Your health Your family life

Nov. 2006 AP/Ipsos 26% 34% 15% 16%
How would you describe your own personal financial situation? Would you say you live comfortably, meet your
expenses with a little left over for extras, just meet your basic living expenses, or don‘t even have enough to meet
expenses?
Live A little Meet basic Don‘t meet

comfortably for extras expenses expenses
Oct.-Nov. 2006 PSRA/Pew 38% 28% 23% 9%
How often do you worry about money matters?
Often Sometimes Rarely Never

Oct.-Nov. 2006 PSRA/Pew 35% 37% 17% 10%
Have you ever felt that your financial situation was out of control, or haven‘t you ever felt this way?
Yes No
Oct.-Nov. 2006 PSRA/Pew 36% 63%
36
As I read each item, tell me if this is one of your household‘s regular expenses, or not?
Oct.-Nov. 2006 PSRA/Pew
Yes No
Mortgage* 67% 32%
A car loan 42 57
A store payment plan for home furnishings
or electronics 12 87
A credit card payment 58 41
Alimony or child support 7 92
Child care 13 86
School tuition 25 75
A school loan 16 84
Cable or satellite television 78 22
Cell phone 74 26
Internet service 65 35
Health club or other sports facility 21 79
Landscaping or lawn maintenance 19 81
Housecleaning 16 83
Note: * Sample is based on homeowners.
Have you ever had any unexpected expenses in the past 12 months that seriously set you back financially, or hasn‘t this
happened to you?
Yes No
34% 66%
(If yes) What kind of expenses were these?
Medical 34%
Cars 24
Home and housing 20
Life events & children: wedding, divorce,
birth, death, moving 9
Work related 3
Travel/vacation 2
Taxes 2
Pets/veterinary bills 1
Note: Based on those who had unexpected expenses in the past 12 months.
Generally, do you pay your credit card bills in full each month or do you make a payment?
Pay in full Payment

Oct.-Nov. 2006 PSRA/Pew 41% 53 %
Note: Based on those who have a credit card as a regular expense.
Have you used a payday lender in the past 12 months, or not?
Yes No
Have you ever used a credit consolidator to help pay off your debt, or not?
Yes No
37
Have you ever had to declare bankruptcy, or hasn‘t this happened to you?
Yes No
Oct.-Nov. 2006 PSRA/Pew 9 91
How difficult is it for you and your family to get ahead financially these days? Is it…?

difficult difficult difficult difficult
Oct. 2006 AP/Ipsos 28% 35% 23% 12%
Which best describes your family‘s financial situation? Are you doing okay and have extra money each month, or are
you barely getting by?
Doing okay Barely getting by

Sep. 2006 Fox/OD 56% 32%
Do you think your family‘s financial situation is getting better, getting worse, or staying about the same?
Getting Getting Staying about

better worse the same
Jul. 2006 CBS 18% 25% 56%
Mar.-Apr. 2008 CBS 23 28 48
Do you now earn enough money to lead the kind of life you want or not?
(If no) Do you think you will be able to earn enough money in the future to lead the kind of life you want, or not?
Of those who responded ―no‖

Expect to earn enough
in the future to lead the
kind of life you want
Yes No Yes Do not
Jan. 1992 US News 39% 61% 34% 22%
May 1992 US News 34 65 34 28
Aug. 1992 US News 33 66 36 25
Oct. 1992 US News 36 63 35 36
Mar. 1994 Times Mirror 44 56 33 20
Feb. 1995 Times Mirror 41 58 35 20
Jun. 1996 PSRA/Pew 44 56 34 20
May 1997 PSRA/Pew 46 54 34 18
Nov. 1997 PSRA/Pew 41 59 33 24
Aug. -Sep. 1998 PSRA/Pew 43 57 36 20
Sep.-Oct. 1999 PSRA/Pew 42 58 33 23
Jan. 2001 PSRA/Pew 43 56 33 21
Jun. 2002 PSRA/Pew 43 56 30 23
Feb. 2004 PSRA/Pew 53 46 26 19
May 2004 PSRA/Pew 51 48 25 19
Jan. 2006 PSRA/Pew 46 53 28 23
Sep. 2007 PSRA/Pew 46 53 31 19
Jan. 2010 PSRA/Pew 45 55 37 16
Note: Asked of those who are employed.
(Responds were asked to select one) 1: I am making financial progress toward my long-term goals. 2: I am keeping up
with monthly expenses 3: I am slowly falling behind on some of my bills. 4: I am hopelessly behind, with no chance to
catch up.
Making Keeping Slowly falling Hopelessly

progress up behind behind
Jan. 2006 Zogby 41% 41% 13% 3%
38
(Select one) A: I am convinced that the American economy is in strong shape. B: I worry about the economy because
while I have a good job and am financially secure, I know neighbors, friends, and family who are not doing so well
C: Nationally, the economy may be doing well, but I am not doing well and I am concerned the immediate future.
US economy in Worry about economy Concerned

strong shape for others for myself now
Jan. 2006 Zogby 35% 39% 15%
Now I‘m going to read a few more pairs of statements. Again, just tell me whether the first statement or the second
statement comes closer to your own views—even if neither is exactly right. The first pair…I‘m generally satisfied with
the way things are going for me financially, or I‘m not very satisfied with my financial situation. Do you feel strongly
about that, or not?
Generally more Not very

satisfied satisfied
Jul. 1994 PSRA/Pew 36% 63%
Oct. 2006 PSRA/Pew 59 40
Note: Samples are adults employed full or part-time.
For each statement, please tell me if you completely agree with it, mostly agree with it, mostly disagree with it, or
completely disagree with it. I‘m pretty well satisfied with the way things are going for me financially?
Satisfied Not satisfied

Jun. 1992 PSRA/Pew 58 41
Dec. 2006-
Jan. 2007 PSRA/Pew 61 38
April 2009 PSRA/Pew 53 45
Note: In the Dec. 2006-Jan. 2007 poll, 81 percent of Republicans were satisfied while 54 percent of Democrats and
independents were satisfied. Responses are combined.
Thinking back over the past year, would you say that each of the following has—gone up a lot, gone up a little,
remained about the same, gone down a little, or gone down a lot? How about…?
May 2006 Gallup

-----------------Over the past year------------------
Gone Remain Total gone
up the same down
The price you pay for a gallon of gasoline 96% 1% *
The amount you pay for home utilities such
as heating/electricity/water 78 15 2
The price you pay for food and other groceries 72 25 1
The value of your home (asked of home owners) 71 16 6
Your local property taxes 60 24 2
The amount of money you pay out-of-pocket
for healthcare/Rx drugs 58 30 5
The amount you pay for health insurance coverage 57 28 4
39
Your state taxes 41 39 2
Your federal income taxes 37 44 8
Your rent (asked of renters) 36 51 4
Your take home pay after taxes and deductions 32 34 19
The amount of money you are able to put away
in savings each month 18 33 43
How much more money per year would it take to make you happy?
None/ $5,000 or $5,001- $10,001- $20,001- $50,001- More than

Not happier Less 10,000 20,000 50,000 100,000 $100,000
Jul. 2006 Gallup 26 % 11% 17% 17% 14% 5% 3%
Mean (including zero): $32,629

Mean (excluding zero)*: $45,934
Median (including zero): $10,000
Median (excluding zero)*: $17,000
Note: Sample is adults employed full or part-time. * Asked of the 67 percent who said that more money would make
them happy.
How about next year? Do you think your financial situation twelve months from now will be better or worse than this
year or will it be about the same?
Better Worse Same as this year

Sep. 2006 LA Times/Bloomberg 36% 11% 50 %
Retirement Anxiety:
In April 2010, 46 percent of non-retired adults said they thought they would have enough money
to live comfortably when they retired. Forty-eight percent didn’t think that was the case. In
2002, 59 percent said they would have enough money to live comfortably in retirement. More
non-retired adults today say they will rely on Social Security in retirement than gave that
response in 2001. Fewer say they will be able to rely on their 401Ks. Sixty-eight percent of
retired adults in 2010 said they had enough money to live comfortably. In 2002, 75 percent gave
that response.
Right now, do you have enough money to live comfortably, or not?

When you retire, do you think you will have enough money to live comfortably, or not?
Non-retired Adults
------------Right Now--------- ------------When you retire--------
Yes, have enough No Yes, will have enough No
Apr. 2002 Gallup 75% 24% 59% 32%
Apr. 2003 Gallup 73 26 59 36
Apr. 2004 Gallup 74 25 59 35
Apr. 2005 Gallup 72 28 53 40
Apr. 2006 Gallup 71 28 50 43
Apr. 2007 Gallup 73 26 53 42
Apr. 2008 Gallup 69 30 46 44
Apr. 2009 Gallup 65 33 41 52
Apr. 2010 Gallup 68 31 46 48
40
particular item does not apply to you please say so. First, how worried are you about… How about—
Not having enough

money for retirement ------------------------------Non-retired adults----------------------------------
Apr. 2001 Gallup 24% 29% 24% 19%
Apr. 2002 Gallup 25 29 19 22
Apr. 2003 Gallup 24 30 22 20
Apr. 2004 Gallup 26 26 21 23
Apr. 2005 Gallup 30 30 18 19
Apr. 2006 Gallup 30 30 19 16
Apr. 2007 Gallup 24 29 24 19
Apr. 2008 Gallup 35 28 18 16
Sep. 2008 Gallup 33 31 16 15
Apr. 2009 Gallup 36 29 17 14
Apr. 2010 Gallup 34 32 18 14
How much do you rely on each of the following sources of income today – is it a major source of income, a minor
source of income, or not a source at all? How about…?
When you retire, how much do you expect to rely on each of the following sources of money – will it be a major source
of income, a minor source of income, or not a source at all?
--------Rely on today-------- --Will rely on in the future--

Gallup Retired Adults Non-retired adults
Major Minor Not a Major Minor Not a
source source source source source source
Social Security*
Apr. 2001 -- -- -- 28% 57% 14%
Apr. 2002 58% 22% 18% 27 56 15
Apr. 2003 50 35 13 29 57 12
Apr. 2004 55 31 13 25 56 18
Apr. 2005 58 30 11 28 53 18
Apr. 2006 55 32 12 25 51 22
Apr. 2007 54 34 10 27 51 20
Apr. 2008 56 29 13 31 53 15
Apr. 2009 57 31 10 30 49 18
Apr. 2010 54 32 13 34 46 20
A 401(k), IRA, Keogh or other retirement

savings account
Apr. 2001 -- -- -- 58% 26% 15%
Apr. 2002 19% 23% 56% 53 28 16
Apr. 2003 20 26 51 47 34 17
Apr. 2004 20 27 50 54 28 18
Apr. 2005 21 29 46 49 33 17
Apr. 2006 21 29 48 47 31 19
Apr. 2007 23 28 47 52 29 17
Apr. 2008 20 30 46 54 29 15
Apr. 2009 20 30 48 42 31 25
Apr. 2010 22 29 47 45 31 23
Individual stock or mutual fund investments

Apr. 2001 -- -- -- 24% 39% 36%
Apr. 2002 15% 31% 52% 23 43 32
Apr. 2003 12 27 57 20 42 36
Apr. 2004 10 26 62 20 41 38
Apr. 2005 12 32 53 21 41 37
Apr. 2006 10 26 62 19 41 38
41
Apr. 2007 16 27 55 24 39 35
Apr. 2008 11 29 58 17 47 34
Apr. 2009 11 28 58 17 38 43
Apr. 2010 14 24 61 20 34 45
Money from inheritance

Apr. 2001 -- -- -- 7% 29% 63%
Apr. 2002 4% 11% 84% 10 28 60
Apr. 2003 4 11 82 7 31 60
Apr. 2004 3 11 85 8 31 60
Apr. 2005 3 13 82 7 28 63
Apr. 2006 3 14 82 7 31 60
Apr. 2007 3 11 85 8 28 64
Apr. 2008 6 8 85 9 29 60
Apr. 2009 3 11 84 7 24 68
Apr. 2010 3 10 85 9 26 63
Other savings such as a regular savings

account or CDs
Apr. 2001 -- -- -- 16% 51% 32%
Apr. 2002 15% 33% 51% 23 50 25
Apr. 2003 14 39 46 19 52 27
Apr. 2004 13 34 51 17 52 30
Apr. 2005 11 41 46 18 55 27
Apr. 2006 14 39 45 19 51 28
Apr. 2007 16 41 41 23 48 28
Apr. 2008 11 40 45 17 53 29
Apr. 2009 13 38 46 20 47 31
Apr. 2010 13 44 41 22 48 30
A work-sponsored pension plan

Apr. 2001 -- -- -- 34% 28% 37%
Apr. 2002 29% 16% 51% 29 33 36
Apr. 2003 41 14 44 28 32 39
Apr. 2004 34 22 42 30 32 37
Apr. 2005 36 22 40 28 31 39
Apr. 2006 36 21 41 26 30 42
Apr. 2007 32 24 41 31 28 39
Apr. 2008 33 19 46 26 30 43
Apr. 2009 38 16 43 24 29 45
Apr. 2010 37 18 42 23 31 45
Rent and royalties

Apr. 2001 -- -- -- 5% 22% 72%
Apr. 2002 6% 13% 80% 8 29 60
Apr. 2003 5 17 76 5 27 66
Apr. 2004 4 12 82 5 25 69
Apr. 2005 2 13 82 6 24 69
Apr. 2006 5 13 80 6 26 66
Apr. 2007 2 16 80 7 24 68
Apr. 2008 6 14 79 6 23 68
Apr. 2009 3 10 85 6 23 70
Apr. 2010 5 11 82 6 22 71
Annuities or insurance plans

Apr. 2001 -- -- -- 7% 34% 58%
Apr. 2002 8% 21% 69% 7 40 51
Apr. 2003 6 23 69 10 36 53
Apr. 2004 9 21 67 8 34 57
Apr. 2005 6 26 66 9 34 56
Apr. 2006 8 17 73 7 32 59
Apr. 2007 8 29 62 9 35 54
42
Apr. 2008 7 19 72 8 32 59
Apr. 2009 8 17 72 7 36 57
Apr. 2010 8 24 66 8 30 61
Part-time work
Apr. 2001 -- -- -- 10% 52% 36%
Apr. 2002 3% 14% 82% 16 51 31
Apr. 2003 1 18 80 13 57 29
Apr. 2004 2 17 80 17 50 32
Apr. 2005 6 17 75 18 51 30
Apr. 2006 3 20 77 18 50 28
Apr. 2007 3 19 78 21 52 27
Apr. 2008 3 13 83 20 49 29
Apr. 2009 1 14 84 22 51 27
Apr. 2010 4 13 82 18 53 28
The equity you have built up in your home

Apr. 2002 18% 14% 60% 24% 40% 33%
Apr. 2003 25 15 55 25 42 30
Apr. 2004 24 19 50 25 38 34
Apr. 2005 25 19 49 26 41 31
Apr. 2006 22 17 57 26 34 35
Apr. 2007 20 25 51 30 39 28
Apr. 2008 16 15 65 26 37 34
Apr. 2009 21 17 56 24 39 33
Apr. 2010 20 19 60 20 41 37
Note: * Difference in numbers with previous questions due to question wording; ―your major source‖ vs. ―a major
source.‖
For each, please tell me how satisfied or dissatisfied you are with your current job in this regard. First, are you
completely satisfied, somewhat satisfied, somewhat dissatisfied, completely dissatisfied with the retirement plan your
employer offers?
Completely Somewhat Somewhat Completely

Aug. 1999 Gallup 31% 30% 10% 19%
Aug. 2001 Gallup 31 34 8 16
Aug. 2002 Gallup 29 33 10 16
Aug. 2003 Gallup 35 31 9 14
Aug. 2004 Gallup 36 28 10 13
Aug. 2005 Gallup 27 31 9 18
Aug. 2006 Gallup 31 31 12 11
Aug. 2007 Gallup 32 30 9 14
Aug. 2008 Gallup 34 26 11 14
Aug. 2009 Gallup 35 26 9 19
How confident are you that you will retire with enough income and assets to last for the rest of your life – would you say
you‘re very confident, somewhat confident, not so confident or not confident at all?
Very Somewhat Not so Not confident

confident confident confident at all
Jul. 1996 ABC/Wash Post 16% 29% 25% 21%
Nov. 2005 ABC/Wash Post 30 39 16 13
Nov. 2008 ABC/Wash Post 10 34 25 24
43
Thinking now about retirement, please tell me how concerned you are about each of the following – very concerned,
somewhat concerned, not too concerned, or not concerned at all? How about
-----------------------------------Non-retired adults--------------------------------
Gallup/USA Today Very Somewhat Not too Not concerned
Not having enough money to live
comfortably in retirement
Jun. 2006 42% 32% 16% 10%
Losing a sense of purpose in your
life after you stop working
Jun. 2006 20 13 29 35
Running out of money before you die
Jun. 2006 40 26 20 14
How concerned are you about not having enough money for retirement – very concerned, somewhat concerned, or not
at all concerned?

Feb. 2007 CBS/NYT 38% 37% 24%
Mar-Apr. 2008 CBS/NYT 43 39 17
Apr. 2009 CBS/NYT 49 33 18
Looking ahead to your retirement, how confident are you that you will have enough money to live comfortably in
retirement?

confident confident confident confident
Feb. 2009 AP/Roper GfK 10% 35% 22% 31%
Apr. 2009 AP/Roper GfK 13 38 22 25
Looking ahead to your retirement, how confident are you that you will have the financial resources to live comfortably
during your retirement?
----------------------------Non-retired adults------------------------
confident confident confident confident
Feb. 2005 AP/Ipsos 29% 36% 19% 15%
How do your current living expenses in retirement compare with what you expected?
------------------------------Retired Adults-------------------------------
Much Slightly Same as Slightly Much
higher higher expected lower lower
May-Jun. 2006 WSJ/Harris Interactive 14% 22% 45% 10% 8%
How do your current living expenses in retirement compare with what you expected?
Higher than About the same Lower than

I expected as I expected I expected
Sep. 2007 WSJ/Harris Interactive 31% 47% 22%
Note: Sample is retired adults.
How much do you currently rely on Social Security--as your main source of income, as a minor source of income, or not
at all?
Main source of income Minor source of income Not at all
Jan. 2005 Gallup/CNN/USA Today 44% 40% 14%
Note: Sample is retired adults.
44
When you retire, how much do you expect to rely on Social Security as your main source of income, a minor source of
income, or not at all?
--------Retired adults-------- ------Non-retired adults------

Main Minor Not a Main Minor Not a
source source Source source source source
Jul. 1998 Gallup/CNN/USA Today -- -- -- 17% 58% 23%
Aug. 2000 Gallup/CNN/USA Today -- -- -- 17 55 26
Jan. 2005 Gallup/CNN/USA Today 44% 40% 14% 18 57 24
What is your major source of income--Social Security, an employer-sponsored pension plan, or your own retirement
savings?
Looking ahead to your retirement, what do you expect to be your major source of income – Social Security, an
employer-sponsored pension plan, or your own retirement savings?
-------------Retired Adults-------------- --------------Non-retired adults------------

Social Employer Own Social Employer Own
Security sponsored retirement Security sponsored retirement
pension savings pension savings
Mar. 1995 CBS/NYT -- -- -- 22% 30% 39%
Feb. 2001 CBS -- -- -- 15 23 56
Jan. 2002 CBS -- -- -- 16 24 52
Jan. 2005 CBS/NYT 45% 23% 24% 17 22 55
Feb. 2005 PSRA/Pew 46 25 17 20 19 53
Jun. 2005 CBS/NYT 39 20 25 20 29 45
In the last 12 months, as a result of bad economic conditions, have you taken money out of any savings account,
including retirement savings, in order to make ends meet, or haven‘t you taken money out of savings?
Yes No
Jul. 2010 CBS 44% 54%
At what age would you like to retire?
Mar. 2008 CNN/ORC
50 or younger 11%
51-55 16
56-59 4
60-64 30
65-69 28
70 and older 10
Note: Sample is those who are currently employed.
(Follow up question) Do you think you will be able to retire at that age, or do you think you will have to
continue working?
Retire at that age Continue working

44% 56%
Note: Responses are of those who picked an age they would like to retire at from the previous question.
Which source do you think will provide you and your spouse with the largest share of income in retirement…? (non-
retired adults)
Which source provides you and your spouse with the largest share of income in retirement …? (retired adults)
2005 Retirement Confidence Survey

(Workers) (Retirees)
Will provide your Provides your
largest share of income largest share of income
Workplace retirement savings plan 21% 3%
Personal savings or investments that are not in a
45
work-related retirement plan 18 10
Social Security 18 45
Employer-provided pension 16 26
Employment 14 3
Sale or refinancing of your home 3 1
Inheritance 3 3
A lump-sum distribution from an employer-provided
cash balance or defined benefit plan 2 1
Support from children or other family members 1 3
Don‘t know/refused 4 7
Note: Married couples were asked, ―you and your spouse with the largest…?‖
When you reach retirement age, do you plan to work full-time, work part-time or not work at all?
---------------------Non-retired adults-------------------
Work full-time Work part-time Not at all
Jun. 2006 Gallup/USA Today 12% 51% 35%
(Of those who plan to work) Is this because you will need the money, or mainly because you would still enjoy
working?
Need the money Enjoy working

30% 67%
Health Cost Anxiety
Americans are worried about health care costs. In 2009 in Kaiser Family Foundation surveys
around three in ten said they or a family member had had trouble in the past 12 months paying
a health care bill. In June 2010, 21 percent gave that response. Around two in ten said they had
skipped a test in the June 2010 survey; three in ten said they had skipped dental care.
In the past 12 months, did you or another family member in your houseful have any problems paying medical bills, or
not?
Yes No
Mar. 2002 Kaiser Family Foundation 21% 79%
Apr. 2005 Kaiser Family Foundation 23 77
Sept. 2006 Kaiser Family Foundation 25 75
Oct. 2008 Kaiser Family Foundation 32 68
Feb. 2009 Kaiser Family Foundation 22 78
Apr. 2009 Kaiser Family Foundation 26 73
Jun. 2009 Kaiser Family Foundation 26 73
Jul. 2009 Kaiser Family Foundation 21 79
Aug. 2009 Kaiser Family Foundation 24 76
Sept. 2009 Kaiser Family Foundation 33 67
Nov. 2009 Kaiser Family Foundation 31 69
Dec. 2009 Kaiser Family Foundation 30 70
Mar. 2010 Kaiser Family Foundation 30 69
Jun. 2010 Kaiser Family Foundation 21 78
Over the past 12 months, has there been a time when you have been unable to afford necessary health care for yourself
or a family member, or not?
Yes No
Oct. 2004 PSRA/Pew 25% 75%
Dec. 2006-Jan. 2007 PSRA/Pew 26 74
Note: Forty-one percent of African Americans say they have been unable to afford necessary health care for
themselves or a family member over the past 12 months. Twenty-three percent of whites said the same thing.
46
In the past 12 months, have you or another family member living in your household______ because of the cost, or not?
Kaiser Family Foundation
Skipped a recommended medical test or treatment Oct. 2008 12 87

Jan. 2000 15% 85% Feb. 2009 7 92
Apr. 2005 17 82 Apr. 2009 8 90
Apr. 2008 23 76 Jun. 2009 8 91
Oct. 2008 31 68 Jul. 2009 7 92
Feb. 2009 23 77 Sept. 2009 9 90
Apr. 2009 27 73 Nov. 2009 6 92
Jun. 2009 27 73 Dec. 2009 10 89
Jul. 2009 21 78 Mar. 2010 10 89
Sept. 2009 28 71 Jun. 2010 9 90
Nov. 2009 22 78
Dec. 2009 23 76 Put off or postponed getting health care you
Mar. 2010 28 72 needed
Jun. 2010 22 78 Mar. 2008 29 70
Oct. 2009 36 64
Not filled a prescription for a medicine Feb. 2009 27 72
Jan. 2000 13 87 Apr. 2009 33 67
Apr. 2005 20 79 Jun. 2009 31 68
Apr. 2008 22 78 Jul. 2009 27 72
Oct. 2008 27 72 Sept. 2009 33 67
Feb. 2009 21 78 Nov. 2009 30 69
Apr. 2009 29 71 Dec. 2009 29 71
Jun. 2009 26 74 Mar. 2010 30 69
Jul. 2009 20 80 Jun. 2010 26 73
Sept. 2009 26 73
Nov. 2009 26 74 Skipped dental care or checkups
Dec. 2009 24 76 Feb. 2009 34 66
Mar. 2010 26 74 Apr. 2009 36 64
Jun. 2010 20 79 Jun. 2009 35 64
Jul. 2009 29 71
Cut pills in half or skipped doses of medicine Sept. 2009 35 65
Apr. 2005 16 84 Nov. 2009 34 65
Apr. 2008 18 81 Dec. 2009 31 69
Oct. 2008 22 78 Mar. 2010 35 64
Feb. 2009 15 85 Jun. 2010 31 69
Apr. 2009 18 81
Jun. 2009 19 80 Relied on home remedies or over the counter
Jul. 2009 15 84 drugs instead of going to see a doctor
Sept. 2009 21 78 Feb. 2009 35 65
Nov. 2009 17 83 Apr. 2009 42 57
Dec. 2009 18 81 Jun. 2009 37 63
Mar. 2010 21 79 Jul. 2009 33 67
Jun. 2010 16 84 Sept. 2009 44 56
Nov. 2009 34 66
Had problems getting mental health care Dec. 2009 34 66
Jan. 2000 4 96 Mar. 2010 39 61
Apr. 2005 7 93 Jun. 2010 28 71
Apr. 2008 8 90
Within the last twelve months, have you or a member of your family put off any sort of medical treatment because of
the cost you would have to pay?
Yes No
Jan. 1991 Gallup 22% 77%
47
In the past 12 months, have you had any problems paying medical bills, or not?
Yes No
Apr. 2006 Harvard/Robert Wood Johnson/ICR 20% 79%
Apr. 2007 Harvard/Robert Wood Johnson/ICR 22 78
Mar. 2008 Harvard/Robert Wood Johnson/ICR 22 77
Was there a time over the past 12 months when you or another family member living in your household needed medical
care, but did not get it?
Yes No
Mar. 2008 Harvard/Robert Wood Johnson/ICR 17 82
-- (If yes) Was it mainly for financial reasons or some other reasons?
Yes No
Please tell me whether you are confident, somewhat confident, not too confident, or not confident at all about each of
the following?
Mar. 2009 CNN/ORC

Very/somewhat Not too/Not
Confident confident at all
Your ability to pay your bills if someone in your family has
a major medical emergency 64% 36%
The chances that no one in your household will lose health
insurance coverage in the next six months 78 21
How concerned are you, if at all, about . . . ?
Dec. 2008 ABC/Wash Post

Being unable to afford necessary health care
when a family member gets sick 33% 20% 17% 29%
Being able to heat your home this winter 16 20 20 43
Not having enough money to pay your rent
or mortgage 21 16 16 41
In the past year, have you or another family member living in your household _________ because of the cost or not?
Apr. 2008 Kaiser Family Foundation

Have Have not
Skipped a recommended medical test or treatment 24% 76%
Not filled a prescription for a medicine 23 76
Cut pills in half or skipped doses of medicine 19 80
Had problems getting mental health care 8 90
Put off or postponed getting health care you needed 29 70
48
How much of a problem is it for you or your family to pay for prescription medicines that you need?
A problem but Not much of

Serious problem not serious a problem
Mar. 2008 KFF/Harvard/USA Today 16% 25% 58%
$25,000- $50,000-
<$25,000 $49,999 $74,999 $75,000+
Serious problem for you and your family
to pay for drugs 29% 19% 13% 5%
Last 2 years, ever not filled a prescription
because of the cost 40 33 28 1
Last 2 years, ever skipped doses or cut pills
in half 31 28 19 14
Have insurance that helps pay for drugs 63 78 88 95
Usually talk to doctor about cost of medicine 57 47 37 34
Self or family member ever applied for a
discount from a pharmaceutical company 29 15 13 8
Right now, are you or is anyone in your household staying in a job they want to leave mainly because of fear of losing
your health coverage or not?
Yes No
Oct. 2007 LA Times/Bloomberg 13% 86%
What about the health care you receive? Are you generally satisfied or dissatisfied with the quality of the health care
you receive? Would you say you are very satisfied/dissatisfied or somewhat satisfied/dissatisfied?
---------------------Quality of Health Care You Receive--------------------

Feb. 2007 CBS/NYT 41% 36% 8% 12%
Are you satisfied or dissatisfied with your health care costs, both expenses not covered by insurance and the cost of
your insurance if any? Would you say you are very satisfied/dissatisfied or somewhat satisfied/dissatisfied?
----------------------------Health Care Costs---------------------------------

Feb. 2007 CBS/NYT 20% 23% 19% 33%
How concerned are you about the health care costs you and your family might face in the coming years – very
concerned, somewhat concerned, or not at all concerned?

Feb. 2007 CBS/NYT 52% 37% 10%
Mar.-Apr. 2008 CBS/NYT 59 27 14
How concerned are you about the possibility that you will have major health care bills in the next few years – very

Feb. 2007 CBS/NYT 36% 43% 20%
In general, how concerned are you about not having enough money to pay for your current health care costs – very

Feb. 2007 CBS/NYT 26% 38% 35
Mar-Apr. 2008 CBS/NYT 42 29 28
49
In recent years, has the employer of you or anyone in your household cut back on health care benefits or made the wage
earner pay more for those benefits?
Yes No
Feb. 2007 CBS/NYT 49% 46%
Note: Sample is those with health insurance.
In the past 12 months have you put off any major purchases because of the cost of health care?
Yes No
Feb. 2007 CBS/NYT 24% 76%
In the past 12 months, was there any time when you or anyone in your household had no health insurance of any kind?
Yes No
Feb. 2007 CBS NYT 20% 79%
Note: Sample is those with health insurance.
May 2006 Gallup

------------------Over the past year------------------
up the same down
as heating/electricity/water 78 15 2%
Mar. 2008 Gallup

------------------Over the past year------------------
up the same down
The value of your home 34% 25% 35%
I‘m going to read you a list of things that some people worry about and others do not. I‘d like you to tell me how
worried you are about each of the followings. How worried are you about …? Are you very worried, somewhat
worried, not too worried, or not at all worried?
Kaiser Family Foundation

-----------------------------------Right now---------------------------------
worried worried worried worried
Having to pay more for your health care
or health insurance^
Feb. 2004 47% 31% 10% 12%
50
Oct. 2005 40 32 12 16
Feb. 2006 38 33 11 17
May-Jun. 2007 41 34 14 11
Oct. 2007 39 34 13 13
Nov. -Dec. 2007 41 32 13 13
Feb. 2008 (Registered voters) 34 33 17 13
Apr. 2008 37 34 11 17
Sep. 2008 34 33 15 17
Oct. 2008 38 34 13 14
Feb. 2009 45 32 14 9
Apr. 2009 37 35 16 11
Jul. 2009 31 38 17 13
Dec. 2009 41 34 13 12
Mar. 2010 39 35 12 13
Jun. 2010 38 33 14 13
Your health plan being more concerned

about saving money for the plan than
about what is the best treatment for you^
Feb. 2004 35% 32% 15 15
Oct. 2005 30 31 16 20
Feb. 2006 27 35 15 21
May-Jun. 2007 31 33 18 16
Oct. 2007 32 34 16 16
Nov. -Dec. 2007 33 34 16 14
Apr. 2008 28 33 16 21
Sep. 2008 24 33 19 23
Oct. 2008 27 32 16 23
Not being able to afford the health care

services you think you need
Feb. 2004 38% 24% 18% 19%
Oct. 2005 34 27 15 24
Feb. 2006 32 25 18 24
Mar.-Apr. 2006# 23 27 20 29
Black men 38 22 17 24
Black women 37 21 17 24
White men 21 27 20 32
White women 16 29 22 32
May-Jun. 2007 36 27 19 18
Oct. 2007 34 28 17 20
Nov.-Dec. 2007 35 30 15 13
Apr. 2008 29 26 19 25
Sep. 2008 28 28 20 24
Oct. 2008 31 29 17 23
Feb. 2009 38 29 18 15
Apr. 2009 34 32 20 14
Jul. 2009 34 28 21 17
Dec. 2009 32 30 17 20
Mar. 2010 29 28 19 22
Jun. 2010 31 30 19 19
The quality of health care services

you receive getting worse
Feb. 2004 29% 29% 19% 22%
Oct. 2005 28 28 18 24
Feb. 2006 27 31 16 24
May-Jun. 2007 32 28 19 20
Oct. 2007 29 30 18 20
Nov.-Dec. 2007 33 29 17 19
Apr. 2008 26 30 18 24
Sep. 2008 24 28 22 26
51
Oct. 2008 26 27 21 25
Not being able to afford the prescription

drugs you need
Feb. 2004 36% 23% 18% 22%
Oct. 2005 32 21 17 30
Feb. 2006 28 22 18 30
May-Jun. 2007 33 23 22 22
Oct. 2007 31 25 18 26
Apr. 2008 27 23 17 32
Sep. 2008 27 22 20 31
Oct. 2008 25 24 20 31
Jul. 2009 27 25 25 22
Dec. 2009 27 29 21 24
Mar. 2010 28 24 19 28
Jun. 2010 26 26 22 25
Losing your health insurance coverage^

Feb. 2004 32% 19% 19% 29%
Oct. 2005 27 22 19 33
Feb. 2006 26 19 21 34
May-Jun. 2007 34 20 20 25
Oct. 2007 29 21 19 30
Nov.-Dec. 2007 29 22 21 27
Apr. 2008 26 19 19 35
Sep. 2008 23 20 22 35
Oct. 2008 29 20 19 31
Feb. 2009 34 20 22 24
Mar. 2009 30 27 22 21
Jul. 2009 29 23 24 22
Dec. 2009 26 28 20 26
Mar. 2010 24 24 18 32
Jun. 2010 26 24 26 23
Having to stay in your current job instead

of taking a new job for fear of losing health
benefits*
Feb. 2004 17% 14% 16% 51%
Oct. 2005 12 16 19 51
Feb. 2006 14 15 19 51
May-Jun. 2007 17 14 24 45
Oct. 2007 14 18 21 46
Apr. 2008 13 16 19 50
Sep. 2008 16 14 22 47
Oct. 2008 14 17 21 47
Dec. 2009 19 23 24 34
Mar. 2010 14 17 21 47
Jun. 2010 12 18 27 41
You or a family member getting HIV or AIDS

Mar.-Apr. 2006 11% 16% 25% 47%
Black men 34 18 19 28
White men 5 13 27 54
Note: * Question asked of those who are employed. ^ Question asked of those who are insured. # Wording changed to
not getting the healthcare you need.‖
52

Not being able to pay medical
costs for normal health care
Apr. 2001 Gallup 22% 22% 24% 31%
Apr. 2002 Gallup 18 17 26 36
Apr. 2003 Gallup 17 20 24 36
Apr. 2004 Gallup 21 16 24 36
Apr. 2005 Gallup 23 19 24 32
Apr. 2006 Gallup 23 22 26 27
Apr. 2007 Gallup 21 15 31 30
Apr. 2008 Gallup 23 21 24 29
Dec. 2008 Gallup 24 22 24 27
Apr. 2009 Gallup 26 20 28 26
Apr. 2010 Gallup 22 26 27 21

in the event of a serious illness or accident
Apr. 2001 Gallup 27% 23% 24% 25%
Apr. 2002 Gallup 21 24 25 28
Apr. 2003 Gallup 24 22 23 29
Apr. 2004 Gallup 26 21 24 27
Apr. 2005 Gallup 30 22 25 22
Apr. 2006 Gallup 33 21 21 22
Apr. 2007 Gallup 28 21 27 23
Apr. 2008 Gallup 34 22 20 21
Apr. 2009 Gallup 34 24 22 18
Apr. 2010 Gallup 33 28 20 17
Housing Anxiety
In an April 2010 Gallup poll, 38 percent were very or moderately worried about not being able to
pay their rent, mortgage, or other housing costs. Kaiser’s responses have been a little higher. In
their June 2010 poll, 47 percent said they were very or moderately worried about not being able to
pay the rent or mortgage. Jobs and rising prices are a much bigger concern for Americans than
declining real estate values.
Very Moderately Not too Not

worried worried worried at all worried
Apr. 2001 Gallup 10% 14% 28% 44%

Apr. 2002 Gallup 8 14 26 47
Apr. 2003 Gallup 11 14 27 43
Apr. 2004 Gallup 11 13 26 42
Apr. 2005 Gallup 10 13 30 43
Apr. 2006 Gallup 11 16 29 37
Apr. 2007 Gallup 11 15 31 38
53
Apr. 2008 Gallup 18 18 24 35
Apr. 2009 Gallup 17 18 26 33
Apr. 2010 Gallup 18 20 28 28
I‘m going to read you a list of things that some people worry about and others do not. I‘d like you to tell me how
worried you are about each of the following. How worried are you about …? Are you very worried, somewhat worried,
not too worried, or not at all worried?
Not being able to pay your rent or mortgage

Feb. 2004 KFF 27% 16% 19% 37%
Oct. 2005 KFF 22 20 19 39
Feb. 2006 KFF 23 17 19 41
May-Jun. 2007 KFF 25 19 20 34
Oct. 2007 KFF 24 19 19 37
Nov.-Dec. 2007 KFF 27 20 19 33
Apr. 2008 KFF 21 18 19 41
Sep. 2008 KFF 21 20 21 39
Oct. 2008 KFF 25 21 16 36
Jul. 2009 KFF 29 25 19 25
Dec. 2009 KFF 22 23 21 34
Mar. 2010 KFF 25 19 19 36
Jun. 2010 KFF 25 22 22 30
(If own a home) At any time within the last 12 months did you fall behind in paying your mortgage?
Yes, fell behind No

Feb.-Mar. 2009 Quinnipiac 7% 90 %
In the last 12 months, as a result of bad economic conditions, have you been threatened with foreclosure or eviction for
not paying your mortgage or rent, or haven‘t you?
Yes, and lost Yes, but didn‘t

home lost home No
Jul. 2010 CBS 2% 6% 91%
(If own a home) How concerned are you, if at all, about not having enough money to pay your mortgage - very
concerned, somewhat concerned, not too concerned, or not at all concerned about this?
Very Somewhat Not too Not at

concerned concerned concerned all concerned
Feb.-Mar. 2009 Quinnipiac 15% 21% 18% 42%
How concerned are you, if at all, about not having enough money to pay your rent or mortgage – very concerned,
somewhat concerned, not too concerned, or not at all concerned about this?
Very Somewhat Not too Not at

concerned concerned concerned all concerned
Dec. 2008 ABC/Wash Post 21% 16% 16% 41%
How concerned are you about being able to pay your housing costs—very concerned, somewhat concerned, not very
concerned, or not at all concerned?

Jan. 2009 CBS/NYT 24% 36% 19% 22%
54
As you may know, in many areas of the country, home values have declined over the last year. How much has the
decline in home values affected you personally – a lot, some, not much, or not at all?
A lot Some Not much Not at all

Jan. 2009 CBS/NYT 17% 22% 23% 38%
Do you personally have any close friends or relatives who have filed for bankruptcy or have had a foreclosure during
the past year, or not?
Yes No
Mar. 2008 CBS/NYT 22% 78%
Jan. 2009 CBS/NYT 27 73
At any time within the last 12 months did you fall behind in paying your rent or mortgage?
Yes, fell behind No

Feb. 1991 NORC/GSS 9% 91%
Jan. 2005 NORC/GSS 7 93
Do you currently rent your home, or are you buying it with a mortgage, or is it entirely paid for?
Rent Mortgage Paid for

Nov. 1990 CBS/NYT 25% 39% 34%
Mar. 2005 CBS/NYT 28 45 25
Jun. 2005 CBS/NYT 25 46 25
Dec. 2006 CBS 21 48 28
Feb. 2008 CBS/NYT 21 49 28
Sep. 2008 CBS/NYT 22 50 26
Oct. 2008 CBS/NYT 25 45 25
Jan. 2009 CBS/NYT 22 46 29
Feb. 2009 CBS/NYT 23 47 25
--(Among those who have mortgage) How concerned are you about not being able to pay your mortgage
very concerned, somewhat concerned, or not at all concerned
Very Somewhat Not at

concerned concerned all concerned
Feb. 2008 CBS/NYT 13% 24% 63%
How concerned are you about being able to pay your housing costs – very concerned, somewhat concerned, or not at all
concerned

Mar.-Apr. 2008 CBS /NYT 31% 38% 30%
Do you think what you are currently paying for housing is more than you can afford, about as much as you can afford,
or could you afford more if you wanted?
More than I As much as I Could afford

can afford can afford more
Apr. 1991 CBS/NYT 10% 56% 31%
Mar.-Apr. 2008 CBS/NYT 13 56 25
First, what, if anything, worries you most about your personal financial situation in the . . . ?
Sep. 2007 Gallup

Worry about my personal financial situation in the
Short-term Long-term
Income is not enough to meet expenses 11% 7%
Health insurance/cost of healthcare 9 13
55
Job security concerns/possible loss of job 7 3
Rising cost of living/inflation 6 7
Housing costs 4 4
College expenses 4 6
Taxes 3 3
Debt (non-specific) 3 2
Social Security benefits 3 8
Stock market downturn/crash 3 4
Recession 2 3
Paying mortgage/rent 2 --
Gas prices 2 --
Interest rates 2 --
Energy/home heating prices 1 --
Credit card debt 1 --
Retirement savings/retirement income -- 18
Note: Wordings slightly varied between short term and long term.
Have you ever had any unexpected expenses in the past 12 months that seriously set you back financially, or hasn‘t this
happened to you?
Yes No
Oct.-Nov. 2006 PSRA/Pew 34% 66 %
(If yes) What kind of expenses were these?
Medical 34%
Cars 24
Home and housing 20
Life events & children: wedding, divorce,
birth, death, moving 9
Work related 3
Travel/vacation 2
Taxes 2
Pets/veterinary bills 1
Note: Based on those who had unexpected expenses in the past 12 months.
Which one or two of the following elements of the economy, if any, concerns you the most?
Jul. 2007 NBC/WSJ
The cost of health care 44%

Jobs going overseas 34
The gap between the rich and the poor 22
The cost of higher education 17
The federal budget deficit 16
Lack of good-paying jobs 15
The cost of housing 14
As I read each item, tell me if this is one of your household‘s regular expenses, or not?
Yes No
Mortgage* 67% 32%
A car loan 42 57
A store payment plan for home furnishings
or electronics 12 87
A credit card payment 58 41
Alimony or child support 7 92
56
Child care 13 86
School tuition 25 75
A school loan 16 84
Cable or satellite television 78 22
Cell phone 74 26
Internet service 65 35
Health club or other sports facility 21 79
Landscaping or lawn maintenance 19 81
Housecleaning 16 83
Note: * Sample is based on homeowners.
Now I‘d like to ask something a little bit different. Which of the following economic concerns worry you the most?
Mar. 2006 EPI/GQR
Facing major unexpected medical expenses 36%

Losing your job 21
Seeing the value of your stocks and retirement
savings drop 18
Being unable to keep up with mortgage and
credit card payments 12
Seeing the value of your home level off or
decline 4
To begin, I‘d like you to think about you and your family‘s economic security. By economic security I mean your
security in being able to keep your job, maintain your income, have health insurance coverage, and retire comfortably.
Overall how worried are you about ________?
Feb. 2007 Rockefeller Foundation/Yankelovich
Very Fairly Slightly Not worried

Your economic security 12% 12% 29% 46%
Paying your rent 13 9 18 60
Buying a home 16 9 19 54
Paying your mortgage 5 3 14 76
Getting out of debt 13 7 21 59
Having enough money to retire on 21 9 26 43
Paying for child care 10 3 12 75
Caring for a parent financially 10 5 17 67
Losing your job 8 6 17 69
Finding a job 17 8 20 55
Having enough money to put food
on the table 7 4 14 75
Paying for your children‘s education 24 11 25 40
Keeping up with the cost of living 18 11 28 43
Paying for your children‘s college
Education 28 12 25 35
For the following list, please tell me how worried you are that this might happen to you personally.

Being the victim of a violent crime
like rape or assault 11% 24% 30% 33%
Getting cancer 18 32 22 24
Losing your house in a natural disaster
like an earthquake, fire,
tornado, or hurricane 11 27 27 35
57
Being hurt or killed in a major terrorist
attack, similar to September 11th 11 22 26 40
Being the victim of identity theft 21 48 17 14
Not having enough money to pay all
your bills 19 29 19 32
Not being able to have a secure
retirement 30 26 16 25
Having to file for bankruptcy 8 8 22 61
Falling deep into debt because of
medical expenses 15 29 25 30
Falling deep into debt from paying
high interest rates on
your mortgage 10 13 19 55
Home Values
As you think about your own financial situation, which of the following economic issues worries you most right now?
PSRA/Pew
Worries me the most

Rising prices
Mar. 2008 49%
Oct. 2008 38
Dec. 2008 31
Feb. 2009 21
Mar. 2009 22
June. 2009 29
Aug. 2009 26
Sept./Oct. 2009 27
Problems in the financial markets

Mar. 2008 14%
Oct. 2008 31
Dec. 2008 29
Feb. 2009 21
Mar. 2009 21
Jun. 2010 15
Aug. 2009 14
Sept./Oct. 2009 14
The job situation

Mar. 2008 19%
Oct. 2008 18
Dec. 2008 26
Feb. 2009 45
Mar. 2009 42
Jun. 2009 42
Aug. 2009 44
Sept./Oct. 2009 46
Declining real estate values

Mar. 2008 12%
Oct. 2008 8
Dec. 2008 9
Feb. 2009 9
Mar. 2009 10
Jun. 2009 8
Aug. 2009 9
Sept./Oct. 2009 7
58
Here are a number of events that have happened in the past several months. For each one, please tell me how much this
has affected you personally–a great deal, quite a bit, just some, or not at all?
NBC/WSJ
Great deal Quite a bit Just some Not at all

The slowdown in the economy
Jan. 2001 12% 12% 40% 36%
Jan. 2009 22 20 42 16
The decline in the stock market

Jan. 2001 16% 13% 29% 41%
Jan. 2009 22 16 30 31
The decrease in home values

Jan. 2009 14% 11% 27% 47%
What‘s your impression about the real estate market in your area? Over the past year, have home prices gone up a lot,
gone up a little, gone down a little, gone down a lot?
Gone up Gone up Gone down Gone down

a lot a little a little a lot
Sep. 2007 PSRA/Pew 28% 22% 25% 15%
Feb. 2008 PSRA/Pew 28 18 23 18
Jul. 2008 PSRA/Pew 20 13 32 24
Oct. 2008 PSRA/Pew 19 14 29 25
Dec. 2008 PSRA/Pew 11 11 33 34
Sept./Oct. 2009 PSRA/Pew 8 13 35 31
May 2006 Gallup

up the same down
as heating/electricity/water 78 15 2%
Mar. 2008 Gallup

up the same down
The value of your home 34% 25% 35%
59
Reuters/University of Michigan Survey of Consumer Data
--------------------------Evaluations of Trends in Home Prices Among Homeowners----------------------------

Change in Home Value in the Past Year Expected annual change in value of home…
During the year ahead During the next five years
Decrease Increase Decrease Increase Decrease Increase
2007 Q2 17% 49% 14% 35% 7% 65%
2007 Q3 21 44 17 33 9 66
2007 Q4 29 35 22 25 9 63
Jan. 2008 29 29 20 23 9 60
Is your home now worth more or less than it was worth when you bought it?
More Less
Mar. 2008 CNN/ORC 82% 11%
Note: Asked of homeowners.
Is your home now worth more or less than it was five years ago?
More Less
Mar. 2008 CNN/ORC 70% 18%
Has the value of your home increased or decreased over the past few years? Would you say it has increased a little or
increased a lot/decreased a little or decreased a lot?
Increased Increased Decreased Decreased

a little a lot a little a lot
Jan.-Feb. 2008 PSRA/Pew 25% 42% 11% 10 %
Comparative Anxiety
Here we show a variety of questions about things people worry about from being a victim of crime
or of a terrorist attack to losing health insurance. The Kaiser Family Foundation/Harvard polling
team asks about being “very” or “somewhat” worried, and Gallup asks about being “very” or
“moderately” worried. These produce some differences in responses.
(Kaiser Family Foundation) I‘m going to read you a list of things that some people worry about and others do not. I‘d
like you to tell me how worried you are about each of the followings. How worried are you about…? Are you very
worried, somewhat worried, not too worried, or not at all worried?
(Gallup) Next, please tell me how concerned you are right now about each of the following financial matters, based on
your current financial situation – are you very worried, moderately worried, not too worried, or not worried at all. If a

Your income not keeping up with rising
prices
Feb. 2004 KFF 40% 29% 14% 16%
Oct. 2005 KFF 40 30 13 16
Feb. 2006 KFF 36 32 14 17
May-Jun. 2007 KFF 45 30 12 13
Oct. 2007 KFF 41 30 14 14
Feb. 2008* KFF 39 33 16 10
Apr. 2008 KFF 43 31 11 14
60
Sept. 2008 KFF 41 32 13 13
Oct. 2008 KFF 47 32 10 11
Feb. 2009 KFF 53 28 12 8
Apr. 2009 KFF 46 32 13 9
Jul. 2009 KFF 37 35 17 12
Dec. 2009 KFF 40 32 16 12
Mar. 2010 KFF 40 33 13 13
Jun. 2010 KFF 40 32 15 13
Note: * Sample is registered voters.
Not having enough money to pay your bills

Mar.-Apr. 2006 KFF 19% 32% 21% 28 %
Black men 33 26 18 22
White men 12 32 22 34

Not having enough to pay
your normal monthly bills
Apr. 2001 Gallup 12% 20% 29% 39%
Apr. 2002 Gallup 11 19 27 42
Apr. 2003 Gallup 12 18 29 40
Apr. 2004 Gallup 12 20 28 39
Apr. 2005 Gallup 13 17 32 37
Apr. 2006 Gallup 14 24 30 30
Apr. 2007 Gallup 14 19 32 34
Apr. 2008 Gallup 20 24 25 30
Sep. 2008 Gallup 20 24 24 30
Apr. 2009 Gallup 19 25 26 28
Apr. 2010 Gallup 18 26 28 26
Not being able to make the minimum

payments on your credit cards
Apr. 2001 Gallup 9% 9% 22% 41%
Apr. 2002 Gallup 7 8 21 48
Apr. 2003 Gallup 7 9 21 47
Apr. 2004 Gallup 7 10 22 46
Apr. 2005 Gallup 7 9 22 45
Apr. 2006 Gallup 9 8 24 41
Apr. 2007 Gallup 9 9 23 41
Apr. 2008 Gallup 11 12 19 42
Sep. 2008 Gallup 13 12 19 39
Apr. 2009 Gallup 10 13 20 37
Apr. 2010 Gallup 11 13 21 37

Apr. 2001 Gallup 10% 14% 28% 44%
Apr. 2002 Gallup 8 14 26 47
Apr. 2003 Gallup 11 14 27 43
Apr. 2004 Gallup 11 13 26 42
Apr. 2005 Gallup 10 13 30 43
Apr. 2006 Gallup 11 16 29 37
Apr. 2007 Gallup 11 15 31 38
Apr. 2008 Gallup 18 18 24 35
Apr. 2009 Gallup 17 18 26 33
Apr. 2010 Gallup 18 20 28 28
61
Not being able to maintain the
standard of living you enjoy
Apr. 2001 Gallup 16% 27% 30% 26%
Apr. 2002 Gallup 12 23 31 32
Apr. 2003 Gallup 14 24 32 29
Apr. 2004 Gallup 16 23 29 31
Apr. 2005 Gallup 14 27 31 28
Apr. 2006 Gallup 18 31 28 22
Apr. 2007 Gallup 18 23 32 26
Apr. 2008 Gallup 25 30 24 20
Sep. 2008 Gallup 24 32 24 19
Apr. 2009 Gallup 21 32 28 18
Apr. 2010 Gallup 23 31 30 15
Not being able to get a loan to pay

for a home, car, tuition, or business
Sep. 2008 Gallup 20% 15% 22% 33%

Having to pay more for your health care
or health insurance^
Feb. 2004 KFF 47% 31% 10% 12%
Oct. 2005 KFF 40 32 12 16
Feb. 2006 KFF 38 33 11 17
May-Jun. 2007 KFF 41 34 14 11
Oct. 2007 KFF 39 34 13 13
Feb. 2008* KFF 34 33 17 13
Apr. 2008 KFF 37 34 11 17
Sep. 2008 KFF 34 33 15 17
Oct. 2008 KFF 38 34 13 14
Feb. 2009 KFF 45 32 14 9
Apr. 2009 KFF 37 35 16 11
Jul. 2009 KFF 31 38 17 13
Dec. 2009 KFF 41 34 13 12
Mar. 2010 KFF 39 35 12 13
Jun. 2010 KFF 38 33 14 13
Your health plan being more concerned

about saving money for the plan than
about what is the best treatment for you^
Feb. 2004 KFF 35% 32% 15% 15%
Oct. 2005 KFF 30 31 16 20
Feb. 2006 KFF 27 35 15 21
May-Jun. 2007 KFF 31 33 18 16
Oct. 2007 KFF 32 34 16 16
Apr. 2008 KFF 28 33 16 21
Apr. 2008 KFF 28 33 16 21
Sep. 2008 KFF 24 33 19 23
Oct. 2008 KFF 27 32 16 23
Not being able to afford the health care

services you think you need
Feb. 2004 KFF 38% 24% 18% 19%
Oct. 2005 KFF 34 27 15 24
Feb. 2006 KFF 32 25 18 24
Mar.-Apr. 2006# KFF 23 27 20 29
Black men 38 22 17 24
White men 21 27 20 32
May-Jun. 2007 KFF 36 27 19 18
62
Oct. 2007 KFF 34 28 17 20
Nov.-Dec. 2007 KFF 35 30 15 13
Apr. 2008 KFF 29 26 19 25
Sep. 2008 KFF 28 28 20 24
Oct. 2008 KFF 31 29 17 23
Feb. 2009 KFF 38 29 18 15
Apr. 2009 KFF 34 32 20 14
Jul. 2009 KFF 34 28 21 17
Dec. 2009 KFF 32 30 17 20
Mar. 2010 KFF 29 28 19 22
Jun. 2010 KFF 31 30 19 19
The quality of health care services

you receive getting worse
Feb. 2004 KFF 29% 29% 19% 22%
Oct. 2005 KFF 28 28 18 24
Feb. 2006 KFF 27 31 16 24
May-Jun. 2007 KFF 32 28 19 20
Oct. 2007 KFF 29 30 18 20
Apr. 2008 KFF 26 30 18 24
Sep. 2008 KFF 24 28 22 26
Oct. 2008 KFF 26 27 21 25
Not being able to afford the prescription

drugs you need
Feb. 2004 KFF 36% 23% 18% 22%
Oct. 2005 KFF 32 21 17 30
Feb. 2006 KFF 28 22 18 30
May-Jun. 2007 KFF 33 23 22 22
Oct. 2007 KFF 31 25 18 26
Apr. 2008 KFF 27 23 17 32
Sep. 2008 KFF 27 22 20 31
Oct. 2008 KFF 25 24 20 31
Jul. 2009 KFF 27 25 25 22
Dec. 2009 KFF 27 29 21 24
Mar. 2010 KFF 28 24 19 28
Jun. 2010 KFF 26 26 22 25
Having to stay in your current job instead

of taking a new job for fear of losing health
benefits*
Feb. 2004 KFF 17% 14% 16% 51%
Oct. 2005 KFF 12 16 19 51
Feb. 2006 KFF 14 15 19 51
May-Jun. 2007 KFF 17 14 24 45
Oct. 2007 KFF 14 18 21 46
Apr. 2008 KFF 13 16 19 50
Sep. 2008 KFF 16 14 22 47
Oct. 2008 KFF 14 17 21 47
Dec. 2009 KFF 19 23 24 34
Mar. 2010 KFF 14 17 21 47
Jun. 2010 KFF 12 18 27 41

Not being able to pay medical
costs for normal health care
Apr. 2001 Gallup 22% 22% 24% 31%
Apr. 2002 Gallup 18 17 26 36
Apr. 2003 Gallup 17 20 24 36
Apr. 2004 Gallup 21 16 24 36
Apr. 2005 Gallup 23 19 24 32
63
Apr. 2006 Gallup 23 22 26 27
Apr. 2007 Gallup 21 15 31 30
Apr. 2008 Gallup 23 21 24 29
Apr. 2009 Gallup 26 20 28 26
Apr. 2010 Gallup 22 26 27 21

in the event of a serious illness or accident
Apr. 2001 Gallup 27% 23% 24% 25%
Apr. 2002 Gallup 21 24 25 28
Apr. 2003 Gallup 24 22 23 29
Apr. 2004 Gallup 26 21 24 27
Apr. 2005 Gallup 30 22 25 22
Apr. 2006 Gallup 33 21 21 22
Apr. 2007 Gallup 28 21 27 23
Apr. 2008 Gallup 34 22 20 21
Apr. 2009 Gallup 34 24 22 18
Apr. 2010 Gallup 33 28 20 17

Losing your health insurance coverage^
Feb. 2004 KFF 32% 19% 19% 29%
Oct. 2005 KFF 27 22 19 33
Feb. 2006 KFF 26 19 21 34
May-Jun. 2007 KFF 34 20 20 25
Oct. 2007 KFF 29 21 19 30
Apr. 2008 KFF 26 19 19 35
Sep. 2008 KFF 23 20 22 35
Oct. 2008 KFF 29 20 19 31
Feb. 2009 KFF 34 20 22 24
Apr. 2009 KFF 30 27 22 21
Jul. 2009 KFF 29 23 24 22
Dec. 2009 KFF 26 28 20 26
Mar. 2010 KFF 24 24 18 32
Jun. 2010 KFF 26 24 26 23
Being a victim of a terrorist attack

Feb. 2004 KFF 20% 27% 27% 26%
Oct. 2005 KFF 18 28 25 29
Feb. 2006 KFF 21 26 22 30
May-Jun. 2007 KFF 25 29 25 19
Oct. 2007 KFF 22 29 23 25
Apr. 2008 KFF 18 28 24 30
Sep. 2008 KFF 18 29 25 27
Oct. 2008 KFF 19 27 25 29
Jul. 2009 KFF 20 29 27 23
Dec. 2009 KFF 16 26 29 28
Mar. 2010 KFF 21 24 25 29
Jun. 2010 KFF 20 25 29 25

Being a victim of violent crime
Feb. 2004 KFF 19% 25% 29% 26%
Oct. 2005 KFF 16 27 29 28
Feb. 2006 KFF 17 24 28 30
Mar.-Apr. 2006 KFF 11 29 31 28
Black men 26 25 22 26
64
May-Jun. 2007 KFF 21 28 31 20
Oct. 2007 KFF 20 26 29 25
Apr. 2008 KFF 18 24 28 29
Sep. 2008 KFF 17 25 30 28
Oct. 2008 KFF 18 23 28 30
Not being able to pay your rent or mortgage

Feb. 2004 KFF 27% 16% 19% 37%
Oct. 2005 KFF 22 20 19 39
Feb. 2006 KFF 23 17 19 41
May-Jun. 2007 KFF 25 19 20 34
Oct. 2007 KFF 24 19 19 37
Nov.-Dec. 2007 KFF 27 20 19 33
Apr. 2008 KFF 21 18 19 41
Sep. 2008 KFF 21 20 21 39
Oct. 2008 KFF 25 21 16 36
Jul. 2009 KFF 29 25 19 25
Dec. 2009 KFF 22 23 21 34
Mar. 2010 KFF 25 19 19 36
Jun. 2010 KFF 25 22 22 30
Losing your job*

Feb. 2004 KFF ` 21% 16% 23% 40%
Oct. 2005 KFF 16 18 22 43
Feb. 2006 KFF 20 16 21 43
Mar.-Apr. 2006 KFF 8 15 20 45
Black men 23 16 19 36
May-Jun. 2007 KFF 19 15 25 41
Oct. 2007 KFF 19 17 23 40
Apr. 2008 KFF 21 18 21 41
Sep. 2008 KFF 21 15 23 41
Oct. 2008 KFF 27 19 22 32
Jul. 2009 KFF 28 27 23 22
Dec. 2009 KFF 26 27 27 20
Mar. 2010 KFF 24 22 23 31
Jun. 2010 KFF 24 25 26 25
Losing your savings in the stock market

Feb. 2004 KFF 23% 17% 15% 43%
Oct. 2005 KFF 14 19 16 50
Feb. 2006 KFF 15 18 18 47
May-Jun. 2007 KFF 14 13 22 48
Oct. 2007 KFF 16 16 18 47
Apr. 2008 KFF 17 18 16 47
Sep. 2008 KFF 19 17 18 45
Oct. 2008 KFF 32 19 11 36

Not having enough
money for retirement+
Apr. 2001 Gallup 24% 29% 24% 19%
Apr. 2002 Gallup 25 29 19 22
Apr. 2003 Gallup 24 30 22 20
Apr. 2004 Gallup 26 26 21 23
Apr. 2005 Gallup 30 30 18 19
Apr. 2006 Gallup 30 30 19 16
Apr. 2007 Gallup 27 29 24 18
65
Apr. 2008 Gallup 35 28 18 16
Sep. 2008 Gallup 33 31 16 15
Apr. 2010 Gallup 34 32 18 14
Apr. 2009 KFF 43 30 14 12

Jul. 2009 KFF 35 31 17 16
Dec. 2009 KFF 37 28 17 17
Mar. 2010 KFF 39 29 14 17
Jun. 2010 KFF 36 30 15 17
Not having enough money

to pay for your children‘s college
Apr. 2007 Gallup 18% 16% 10% 16%
Apr. 2008 Gallup 25 14 8 14
Note: Forty percent volunteered the response, ―doesn‘t apply‖ in 2007 and 39 percent did in 2008. + Asked of non-
retied adults.

Being arrested
Mar.-Apr. 2006 KFF 6% 6% 20% 68%
Black men 22 13 18 46
White men 4 8 19 69
Your child not getting into a good college

Mar.-Apr. 2006 KFF 12% 19% 20% 37%
Black men 29 24 17 25
You or a family member getting HIV or AIDS

Mar.-Apr. 2006 KFF 11% 16% 25% 47%
Black men 34 18 19 28
Being a victim of racial discrimination
Mar.-Apr. 2006 KFF 7% 15% 24% 54%
Black men 28 26 21 25
White men 2 8 21 67
Being unfairly treated by the police

Mar.-Apr. 2006 KFF 11% 17% 29% 44%
Black men 37 25 16 22
Note: * Question asked of those who are employed. ^ Question asked of those who are insured. + asked of non-retired
adults. # Wording is ―not getting the healthcare you need.‖
66
Thinking about the next 12 months, how likely is it that _____?
Pew Research Center
Likely Not likely

Your employer may go out of business or relocate to another city
Jan. 2008 12% 87%
Feb. 2009 13 85
Mar. 2010 13 85
You may have your health benefits reduced or eliminated by
your employer
Jan. 2008 20% 74%
Feb. 2009 24 69
Mar. 2010 23 67
You may be asked to take a cut in pay
Jan. 2008 13% 86%
Feb. 2009 25 73
Mar. 2010 25 73
You may be laid off
Jan. 2008 15% 84%
Feb. 2009 21 77
Mar. 2010 24 74
You may have your retirement benefits reduced or eliminated by
your employer
Feb. 2009 18% 75%
Mar. 2010 22 68
Generally speaking, would you say in _____ are going in the right direction or have they pretty seriously gotten off on
the wrong track?
Aug. 2008 Harris Interactive

In the country Your state Your life personally
Are going in the right direction 18% 41% 76%
Have pretty seriously gotten off on the wrong track 76 53 20
How much do you worry about each of the following? Do you worry a lot, some, not much or not at all about ____?
AP/Roper GfK
Worry a lot Some Not much Not at all

Facing major unexpected medical expenses
Feb. 2009 38% 26% 16% 19%

Apr. 2009 38 27 10 25
July 2009 35 27 13 25
Sep. 2009 37 31 13 19
Losing your job
Feb. 2009 28% 19% 10% 22%

Apr. 2009 27 18 9 26
July 2009 25 18 11 26
Sep. 2009 25 18 10 29
Note: Twenty-one percent in both askings said ―does not apply.‖
Seeing the value of your stocks and retirement

investments drop
Feb. 2009 48% 21% 7% 12%

Apr. 2009 41 23 8 16
July 2009 39 25 9 18
67
Sep. 2009 40 28 9 16
Being unable to pay your bills

Feb. 2009 38% 26% 12% 22%
Apr. 2009 34 26 10 29
July 2009 31 28 13 28
Sep. 2009 31 26 15 28
Having enough money to send your children

to college
Feb. 2009 34% 14% 5% 16%
Apr. 2009 33 16 6 20
July 2009 30 17 4 23
Sep. 2009 29 18 6 24
Being unable to keep up with your mortgage and

credit card payments
Feb. 2009 32% 22% 11% 26%
Apr. 2009 28 19 11 33
July 2009 27 21 14 31
Sep. 2009 24 22 13 34
For each of the following please tell me whether or not it is something that happened to you in the past year. Have you
____?
Pew Research Center

Has happened
in the past year Has not
Had trouble getting or paying for medical care for
yourself or your family
Aug. 1999 (KFF/Harvard/WP) 21% 78%
Jan. 2008 23 76
Feb. 2009 23 77
Mar. 2010 26 74
Had problems paying your rent or mortgage

Aug. 1999 (KFF/Harvard/WP) 13 87
Jan. 2008 16 83
Feb. 2009 20 80
Mar. 2010 24 76
Been laid off or lost your job

Jan. 2008 14 85
Feb. 2009 18 82
Mar. 2010 21 79
Gotten a pay raise at your current job or gotten

a better job
Jan. 2008 41 57
Feb. 2009 29 70
Mar. 2010 24 74
Had a mortgage, other loan, or credit card

application denied
Feb. 2009 17 83
Mar. 2010 19 80
Had problems with collection or credit agencies

Feb. 2009 20 80
Mar. 2010 21 78
68
For the following list, please tell me how worried you are that this might happen to you personally.

Being the victim of a violent crime
like rape or assault 11% 24% 30% 33%
Getting cancer 18 32 22 24
Losing your house in a natural disaster
like an earthquake, fire, tornado, or hurricane 11 27 27 35
Being hurt or killed in a major terrorist
attack, similar to September 11th 11 22 26 40
Being the victim of identity theft 21 48 17 14
Not having enough money to pay all
your bills 19 29 19 32
Not being able to have a secure retirement 30 26 16 25
Having to file for bankruptcy 8 8 22 61
Falling deep into debt because of
medical expenses 15 29 25 30
Falling deep into debt from paying high
interest rates on your mortgage 10 13 19 55
How often do you worry about the following things – frequently, occasionally, rarely, or never?
Mar. 2005 AP/Ipsos
Frequently Occasionally Rarely Never

Getting hurt in a car accident 20% 34% 30% 16%
Not being able to pay your bills 30 21 24 25
A terrorist attack using nuclear weapons 13 31 32 23
Becoming a victim of terrorism 12 28 35 25
A nuclear attack by one country on another 11 28 34 27
How concerned are you about each of the following?
Sep. 2006 Fox /OD

The price of health care 44% 43% 9% 4%
The situation in Iraq 43 45 8 2
The decline of moral values 36 40 16 6
Gas prices 35 42 19 4
Terrorist attacks 35 39 21 3
The nation‘s economy 32 44 19 5
Being able to pay your bills 30 37 22 11
Illegal immigration 29 39 24 6
Sep. 2008 Fox/OD

The price of health care 39% 45% 12% 3%
The situation in Iraq 37 50 10 2
The decline of moral values 33 43 17 5
Gas prices 46 41 10 3
Terrorist attacks 28 44 33 5
The nation‘s economy 49 44 6 1
Being able to pay your bills 36 39 19 6
69
Money Anxiety
In the past six months, have you and your family had to do any of the following as a result of recent changes in
economic conditions?
Mar. 2008 CNN/ORC
Yes, cutback No
Cut back on daily necessities such as
food or medicine
Mar. 2008 30% 70%
Mar. 2009 32 68
Cut back on heating your home or
using electricity at home
Mar. 2008 46 54
Cut back on purchases of clothes or
other apparel
Mar. 2008 59 41
Mar. 2009 58 42
Cut back on leisure activities such as
travelling for pleasure or going out
to movies or restaurants
Mar. 2008 75 25
Cut back on household or personal
services such as telephone service,
internet access or cable TV
Mar. 2008 31 69
Postponed making major purchases such
as furniture or appliances
Mar. 2008 61 39
Mar. 2009 62 38
How worried are you that you and your family may have to do any of the following as a result of recent changes in
economic conditions?
Mar. 2008 CNN/ORC

Cut back on daily necessities such as
food or medicine 36% 21% 22% 21%
Cut back on heating your home or

using electricity at home 34 23 24 19
Cut back on purchases of clothes or

other apparel 25 23 33 19
Cut back on leisure activities such as

travelling for pleasure or going out
to movies or restaurants 29 27 28 15
Cut back on household or personal

services such as telephone service,
internet access or cable TV 23 26 28 23
Postponed making major purchase such

as furniture or appliances 26 25 25 23
70
You mentioned making some cutbacks in spending. Have you been cutting back because your financial situation has
gotten worse and made such cutbacks necessary, or because you worry that your financial situation might get worse in
the future?
PSRA/Pew Research center
Gotten worse Might get worse Both

Dec. 2008 28% 57% 4%
Feb. 2009 30 56 5
Jun. 2009 36 50 5
Aug. 2009 34 47 6
Dec. 2009 30 49 8
Please tell me whether you are very confident, somewhat confident, not too confident, or not confident at all about each
of the following?
CNN/ORC
Very Somewhat Not too Not confident
confident confident confident at all
Your ability to maintain your current
standard of living over the next year
Mar. 2008 45% 38% 12% 4%
Mar. 2009 39 42 15 4
Your ability to maintain your current

standard of living over the next ten years
Mar. 2008 34 40 18 6
Mar. 2009 38 43 14 4
Your ability to save enough money
to live comfortably when you retire
Mar. 2008 29 32 24 15
Mar. 2009 22 37 25 16
Your ability to pay for your children
to attend the college of their choice^
Mar. 2008 23 35 26 16
Mar. 2009 24 36 19 21
Your ability to meet your monthly
mortgage payments for the duration
of that mortgage$
Mar. 2008 58 32 6 4
Mar. 2009 50 39 5 5
The chances that your current
employer will not have to lay off
any workers in the next six months#
Mar. 2008 55 18 18 7
The chances that your current
employer will not lay you off in
the next six months#
Mar. 2008 69 16 10 5
Your ability to find a good job that
pays as much as the job you have
now if you had to leave your current
place of employment#
Mar. 2008 31 26 26 15
Note: * Sample is those who are not retired. ^ Sample is those with children under eighteen. $ Sample is those with
a mortgage. # Sample is those who are currently employed.
71
Let me read you a number of aspects dealing with the economy, for each please tell me whether this is currently
affecting you a great deal, quite a bit, just some, or very little. If this does not apply to you, just say so.
NBC/WSJ
A great deal Quite a bit Just some Very little Does not apply
The price of gasoline and
home heating oil
Dec. 2007 51% 18% 23% 5% 3%
Mar. 2008 65 14 12 5 3
The cost of groceries and household
products
Mar. 2008 50 17 21 7 4
The cost of health care
Dec. 2007 42 16 20 12 10
Mar. 2008 45 13 19 10 12
Savings and pensions for retirement
Dec. 2007 28 11 26 11 23
Mar. 2008 33 12 22 13 19
The impact trade agreements have had
on American jobs
Mar. 2008 28 13 20 13 23
Job security and layoffs
Dec. 2007 16 6 12 15 51
Mar. 2008 26 8 15 13 37
Your investments in the stock market
Dec. 2007 13 10 21 14 41
Mar. 2008 21 12 18 11 36
The cost and security of your mortgage
Dec. 2007 14 4 15 19 48
Mar. 2008 17 5 12 16 48
Overtime pay and bonuses at work
Dec. 2007 12 5 11 12 59
Mar. 2008 15 6 10 13 54
To begin, I‘d like you to think about your and your family‘s economic security. By economic security I mean your
security in being able to keep your job, maintain your income, have health insurance coverage, and retire comfortably.
Overall how worried are you about ________?
Feb. 2007 Rockefeller Foundation/Yankelovich
Very Fairly Slightly Not worried

Your economic security 12% 12% 29% 46%
Paying your rent 13 9 18 60
Buying a home 16 9 19 54
Paying your mortgage 5 3 14 76
Getting out of debt 13 7 21 59
Having enough money to retire on 21 9 26 43
Paying for child care 10 3 12 75
Caring for a parent financially 10 5 17 67
Losing your job 8 6 17 69
Finding a job 17 8 20 55
Having enough money to put food

on the table 7 4 14 75
Paying for your children‘s education 24 11 25 40
Keeping up with the cost of living 18 11 28 43
Paying for your children‘s college
Education 28 12 25 35
72
What is the most important financial problem facing your family today?
Gallup
Aug. Jul. Jun. May Apr. Feb. Dec. Nov. Oct. Sep.
2006 2006 2006 2006 2006 2006 2005 2005 2005 2005
Health care costs 15% 15% 16% 17% 18% 17% 15% 16% 12% 11%
Energy costs/
oil and gas prices 16 10 13 20 12 8 14 11 17 17
Lack of money/
low wages 11 13 12 14 12 11 12 11 11 10
Too much debt/ not
enough money to
pay debts 9 7 8 8 9 9 7 7 7 8
College expenses 8 7 8 9 8 8 7 8 6 7
Cost of owning/
renting a home 6 7 6 7 7 7 5 5 5 5
Retirement savings 6 7 7 7 6 7 5 5 4 3
Cost of living/
inflation 8 5 8 6 5 6 4 5 6 7
Lack of savings 1 2 2 2 5 2 2 2 1 1
Taxes 3 4 5 5 4 5 4 4 4 4
Unemployment/
loss of a job 3 3 2 3 3 6 6 8 6 6
Interest rates 2 2 1 1 2 1 1 1 1 1
State of the economy 1 1 2 2 1 1 1 * 1 1
Controlling spending * 1 * * 1 1 1 1 * *
Transportation/
commuting costs 2 1 1 1 * 1 1 1 1 1
Feb. Oct. Jul. Jun. Apr. Jan. Dec. Nov. Oct. Sep.
2008 2007 2007 2007 2007 2007 2006 2006 2006 2006
Health care costs 13% 17% 19% 16% 16% 17% 15% 17% 14% 14%
Energy costs/
oil and gas prices 6 4 8 11 8 7 5 7 8 10
Lack of money/
low wages 7 9 15 13 11 13 17 14 12 12
Too much debt/ not
enough money to
pay debts 12 7 7 7 8 9 9 10 10 9
College expenses 5 6 6 7 9 8 9 9 8 8
Cost of owning/
renting a home 9 10 8 8 9 6 9 8 6 6
Retirement savings 6 3 6 8 7 3 7 6 7 5
Cost of living/
inflation 5 5 6 7 7 8 3 5 6 4
Lack of savings 2 2 3 2 2 1 1 2 1 1
Taxes 5 4 4 6 5 5 4 4 5 5
Unemployment/
loss of a job 4 2 4 3 4 4 2 3 2 4
Interest rates 1 1 1 1 2 * 1 2 2 2
State of the economy 2 * 1 * 2 * * 1 * 1
Controlling spending * -- * * 1 1 1 * 1 *
Transportation/
commuting costs * * * 2 1 1 1 1 1 1
Mar. Nov. Apr. Feb. Oct. Jul. Apr.

2010 2009 2009 2009 2008 2008 2008
Health care costs 16% 14% 11% 8% 9% 9% 10%
Energy costs/
oil and gas prices 3 2 3 3 12 29 14
Lack of money/
low wages 15 14 15 16 11 14 11
73
Too much debt/ not
enough money to
pay debts 13 9 10 15 9 3 9
College expenses 7 7 6 6 6 5 7
Cost of owning/
renting a home 12 9 12 9 7 9 10
Retirement savings 4 5 4 6 7 5 5
Cost of living/
inflation 7 4 6 5 10 18 10
Lack of savings 3 1 2 1 2 2
Taxes 4 5 3 3 3 2 3
Unemployment/
loss of a job 10 8 10 9 4 4 6
Interest rates 1 1 1 1 * 1 2
State of the economy 2 2 2 3 2 2 3
Controlling spending 1 * 1 * 1 * 1
Transportation/
commuting costs 1 1 2 1 1 1 1
In America, each generation has tried to have a better life than their parents, with a better living standard, better homes,
a better education, etc. How likely do you think it is that today‘s youth will have a better life than your parents – very
likely, somewhat likely, somewhat unlikely, or very unlikely?
Very Likely Somewhat Likely Somewhat Unlikely Very Unlikely

Jan. 1983 Roper GfK/NOP 19% 35% 27% 17 %
Jan. 1985 Roper GfK/NOP 28 40 19 10
Jan. 1990 Roper GfK/NOP 21 41 20 13
Oct. 1990 Roper GfK/NOP 28 46 13 4
Dec. 1995 NYT 11 38 32 17
Jul. 1996 NYT 16 42 27 13
Sep. 1996 CBS/NYT 16 42 27 13
Oct. 1996 CBS/NYT 11 40 32 14
Nov. 1996 CBS/NYT 15 41 27 15
Dec. 1996 CBS/NYT 14 37 30 17
Dec. 2001 CBS/NYT 26 45 19 8
Jan. 2003 CBS/NYT 24 42 21 10
Jan. 2008 Gallup 25 41 21 12
Mar. 2009 Gallup/USA Today 19 40 25 15
Jan. 2010 Gallup/USA Today 17 45 26 12
Which one or two of the following elements of the economy, if any, concerns you the most?
Jul. 2007 NBC/WSJ
The cost of health care 44%

Jobs going overseas 34
The gap between the rich and the poor 22
The cost of higher education 17
The federal budget deficit 16
Lack of good-paying jobs 15
The cost of housing 14
Health Anxiety
As you may know, some people in the United States have gotten sick from E.coli bacteria found in spinach. How
worried are you that you or a member of your family will get sick from E.coli bacteria – very worried, somewhat
worried, not too worried, or not worried at all?

Sep. 2006 Gallup 6% 17% 36% 41%
74
Crime/Terrorism Anxiety
How often do you, yourself, worry about the following things—frequently, occasionally, rarely, or never? How
about…?
Gallup
Frequently Occasionally Rarely Never
Getting murdered
Aug.-Sep. 2000 6% 12% 31% 51%
Oct. 2001 4 9 31 56
Oct. 2002 6 11 30 53
Oct. 2003 6 12 30 52
Oct. 2004 6 10 29 55
Oct. 2005 5 10 31 53
Oct. 2006 6 14 35 44
Oct. 2007 7 12 33 48
Oct. 2008 6 11 35 48
Oct. 2009 7 12 32 49
Getting mugged
Aug.-Sep. 2000 9% 21% 33% 36%
Oct. 2001 6 17 36 41
Oct. 2002 8 18 33 40
Oct. 2003 9 19 35 37
Oct. 2004 9 18 35 38
Oct. 2005 7 21 35 37
Oct. 2006 9 24 33 33
Oct. 2007 10 19 37 33
Oct. 2008 11 18 34 35
Oct. 2009 11 20 35 34
Your home being burglarized

when you are not there
Aug.-Sep. 2000 16% 32% 28% 24%
Oct. 2001 12 28 33 26
Oct. 2002 15 30 30 25
Oct. 2003 17 31 31 21
Oct. 2004 12 29 35 24
Oct. 2005 15 30 30 25
Oct. 2006 21 29 33 17
Oct. 2007 18 29 32 21
Oct. 2008 18 28 33 20
Oct. 2009 21 24 35 20
Your home being burglarized when

you are there
Aug.-Sep. 2000 10% 21% 30% 39%
Oct. 2001 6 16 33 45
Oct. 2002 9 18 32 40
Oct. 2003 10 20 30 40
Oct. 2004 8 16 34 42
Oct. 2005 8 16 31 45
Oct. 2006 10 23 34 33
Oct. 2007 10 19 32 38
Oct. 2008 10 18 36 36
Oct. 2009 12 21 32 35
Being sexually assaulted

Aug.-Sep. 2000 7% 16% 24% 52%
Oct. 2001 4 15 24 57
Oct. 2002 6 12 26 55
Oct. 2003 9 14 27 50
75
Oct. 2004 6 14 27 53
Oct. 2005 6 13 29 52
Oct. 2006 6 15 30 48
Oct. 2007 6 13 28 52
Oct. 2008 7 12 27 54
Oct. 2009 5 14 29 52
Having your car stolen or broken into

Aug.-Sep. 2000 16% 32% 26% 24%
Oct. 2001 14 27 30 26
Oct. 2002 16 28 28 24
Oct. 2003 17 28 31 22
Oct. 2004 12 29 31 25
Oct. 2005 16 26 30 25
Oct. 2006 17 30 33 18
Oct. 2007 16 28 32 21
Oct. 2008 20 23 32 24
Oct. 2009 19 28 30 21
Being assaulted or killed by a co-worker or other

employee where you work
Aug.-Sep. 2000 1% 6% 18% 64%
Oct. 2001 2 5 18 62
Oct. 2002 2 4 18 61
Oct. 2003 3 6 20 56
Oct. 2004 1 4 16 67
Oct. 2005 2 4 18 64
Oct. 2006 3 5 17 61
Oct. 2007 2 4 18 62
Oct. 2008 2 4 20 59
Oct. 2009 1 3 17 61
Having a school-aged child of yours physically

harmed while attending school
Aug.-Sep. 2000 17% 17% 17% 22%
Oct. 2001 13 18 18 23
Oct. 2002 14 15 21 20
Oct. 2003 17 18 16 23
Oct. 2004 14 16 20 24
Oct. 2005 14 15 18 24
Oct. 2006 20 20 18 17
Oct. 2007 16 18 18 20
Oct. 2008 15 16 20 22
Oct. 2009 14 17 19 22
Being attacked while driving your car

Aug.-Sep. 2000 9% 20% 29% 40%
Oct. 2001 6 15 29 46
Oct. 2003 8 18 32 38
Oct. 2004 7 16 32 42
Oct. 2005 6 16 31 44
Oct. 2006 9 17 34 38
Oct. 2007 7 17 36 37
Oct. 2008 6 15 35 42
Oct. 2009 7 16 34 41
Being the victim of a hate crime

Aug.-Sep. 2000 6% 10% 26% 56%
Oct. 2001 5 8 26 60
Oct. 2003 5 12 29 54
Oct. 2004 6 10 24 59
Oct. 2005 6 11 24 58
76
Oct. 2006 7 11 29 52
Oct. 2007 6 12 27 55
Oct. 2008 7 9 29 55
Oct. 2009 5 12 28 54
Being a victim of terrorism

Oct. 2001 21% 26% 28% 25%
Oct. 2002 14 26 28 31
Oct. 2003 13 25 30 32
Oct. 2004 12 27 30 31
Oct. 2005 14 24 30 32
Oct. 2006 19 25 28 28
Oct. 2007 13 23 33 30
Oct. 2008 10 21 33 36
Oct. 2009 14 21 33 31
How worried are you that you or someone in your family will become a victim of terrorism – very worried, somewhat
worried, not too worried, or not worried at all?

Worried Worried Worried Worried
Sep. 2001* Gallup/CNN/USA Today 23% 35% 24% 16%
Sep. 2001* Gallup/CNN/USA Today 18 33 35 13
Sep. 2001* Gallup/CNN/USA Today 14 35 32 18
Oct. 2001* Gallup/CNN/USA Today 24 35 27 14
Nov. 2001 Gallup/CNN/USA Today 11 28 34 26
Nov. 2001 Gallup/CNN/USA Today 8 27 34 30
Feb. 2002 Gallup/CNN/USA Today 8 27 39 25
Mar. 2002 Gallup/CNN/USA Today 12 33 32 23
Apr. 2002 Gallup/CNN/USA Today 8 27 39 25
May 2002 Gallup/CNN/USA Today 9 31 37 22
Sep. 2002 Gallup/CNN/USA Today 8 30 37 25
Jan. 2003 Gallup/CNN/USA Today 8 31 36 25
Feb 2003 Gallup/CNN/USA Today 8 28 33 31
Mar. 2003 Gallup/CNN/USA Today 8 30 38 24
Apr. 2003 Gallup/CNN/USA Today 8 26 39 26
Jul. 2003 Gallup/CNN/USA Today 6 24 38 32
Aug. 2003 Gallup/CNN/USA Today 11 30 33 26
Dec. 2003 Gallup/CNN/USA Today 9 28 38 25
Aug. 2004 Gallup/CNN/USA Today 8 26 36 30
Sept. 2004 Gallup/CNN/USA Today 11 32 36 21
Oct. 2004 Gallup/CNN/USA Today 13 34 33 20
Jun. 2005 Gallup/CNN/USA Today 8 30 36 26
Jul. 2005 Gallup/CNN/USA Today 14 33 30 23
Aug. 2006 CNN/ORC 8 28 36 29
Nov. 2006 CNN/ORC 9 31 33 27
Jun. 2007 Gallup/USA Today 12 32 33 22
Jul. 2007 Gallup/USA Today 13 34 31 21
Aug. 2007 CNN/ORC 12 30 33 24
Oct. 2007 Gallup/USA Today 13 23 33 30
Jun. 2008 CNN/ORC 9 29 32 31
Sep.2008 Gallup/USA Today 9 29 38 24
Jun. 2009 Gallup/USA Today 8 28 30 34
77
Oct. 2009 CNN/ORC 10 26 36 28
Dec. 2009 Gallup/USA Today 12 27 34 28
Jan. 2010 Gallup/USA Today 9 33 35 22
Jan. 2010 CNN/ORC 9 25 35 30
78
The data in this report come from the archive of public opinion polls at AEI and from The Roper Center‘s archive at
the University of Connecticut in Storrs, Connecticut. The Roper Center is the oldest and largest archive of public
opinion data in the world. To learn more about the Roper Center, visit http://www.ropercenter.uconn.edu/.
Compiled by Karlyn Bowman, Senior Fellow

Andrew Rugg, Research Assistant
For comments or questions

contact Karlyn Bowman at kbowman@aei.org or Andrew Rugg at Andrew.Rugg@aei.org
For a full listing of AEI‘s Public Opinion Studies, please see

http://www.aei.org/raBasicPages/14?page=AEI%20Studies%20in%20Public%20Opinion
Other Recent AEI Public Opinion Studies:
Public Opinion Study on Abortion Voting by Key Groups in Presidential and

Are Attitudes Changing About the Proper House Elections, 1952-2006
Role of the Federal Government? Women's Attitudes: Some Poll-Based
Public Opinion on the War with Iraq Observations
Taking Stock of Business Polls on Patriotism and Military Service
Attitudes Toward the Environment and Public Opinion on the Supreme Court
Global Warming Attitudes about Social Security Reform
Public Opinion on Taxes Polls on Patriotism and Military Service
America and the War on Terrorism The Politics of Compassion
Polls on NAFTA and Free Trade The Nostalgia Impulse
Attitudes toward the Federal Government Attitudes toward Divided Government
Attitudes about Homosexuality and Gay Attitudes about Welfare Reform
Marriage
Also from AEI’s Political Corner:

Political Report!
The American Enterprise Institute‘s Political Report is a monthly
publication that examines current trends in public opinion and
political developments. This easy-to-read report summarizes
surveys from major pollsters on topics of current interest.
If you‘d like to be added to the mailing list, please feel to contact

Andrew Rugg at Andrew.Rugg@aei.org.
You may view Political Report at the Political Corner website

http://www.aei.org/politicalcorner.
79

Economic Security in America: AEI Public Opinion Study, August 2010

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AEISPublic Opinion

Economic Insecurity Update:

(Updated August 2010)

Yes, self Yes, family No

Very concerned Somewhat concerned Not concerned at all

Plenty of jobs Jobs are difficult

Good Poor Neither

That you will be laid off

Worried Not worried

That your hours at work will be cut back

Worried Not worried

That your wages will be reduced

Worried Not worried

That your benefits will be reduced

Worried Not worried

That your company will move jobs to countries overseas

Worried Not worried

Note: Sample is employed adults, full or part-time.

Very Somewhat Not too Not at all

Note: Samples are employed adults.

Note: *Wording was changed to ―In the last year…‖

Note: *Wording was changed to ―In the last year…‖

Very Somewhat Not so Not concerned

Very Somewhat Not so Not concerned

Jan.-Feb. 2009 Gallup

Yes, lost a job No

Jan.-Feb. 2009 Gallup

Happened to me in Worried about it Not

Very Fairly Not too Not at all

Dec. 2008 ABC/WashPost 10 11 30 48

Note: Samples are employed adults.

How concerned are you about losing your job?

Very Somewhat Not very Not

Extremely Very Not very Not at all

Extremely Very Somewhat Not very Not at all

Extremely Very Somewhat Not too Not at all

Note: Samples are employed adults.

Very Somewhat Not very Not at all

Very Somewhat Not too Not

Worried Not worried

Yes, worried No, not worried

How many jobs do you have now?

One job Two jobs or more

How many jobs do you have now?

One job Two jobs or more

About how long were you out of work?

Less than Between 3 Between 6 More than Still out of

Note: Based on those adults who were laid off.

Better Worse About the same

Yes (self lost job) Yes(someone in family) Both No

Economy (Net) Top Response

Note: Asked of those employed full or part time.

Note: Asked of those employed.

How secure do you feel in your current job?

Jun.-Jul. 2006 PSRA/Pew

Completely satisfied Somewhat satisfied Somewhat dissatisfied Completely dissatisfied

Aug. 2005 Gallup

Do you think you would be happier in a different job?

Yes, happier No, not happier

Note: Sample is adults employed full or part-time.

Do you think you would be happier if you made more money?

Yes, happier No, not happier

More Less No Change

Worried Not worried