It appears that most are watching the unemployment levels to signal the end of the recession, a sentiment echoed across all political parties. Americans, however, aren’t as likely to view a declaration by either Ben Bernanke or President Obama as a sign that the recession is over.
What sign do you believe will best demonstrate to you that the recession is over?
| Adults 18+ Republicans Democrats Independents | ||
| The Federal Reserve Chairman, 3.5% 4.0% 4.6% 2.4% | ||
| Ben Bernanke, declares it over | ||
| Wall Street stock indexes 8.9% 10.5% 8.6% 7.3% | ||
| show it’s over | ||
| Unemployment levels decline 72.1% 74.7% 72.9% 74.1% | ||
| President Obama says it’s over 4.7% 1.8% 6.4% 4.7% | ||
| Other 10.7% 9.0% 7.5% 11.5% | ||
Source: BIGresearch, American Pulse – Oct 09
Worries about whether Social Security will be there when they retire and potential tax increases are also weighing on the minds of weary consumers. Almost half (46.5%) of those who qualify believe Social Security will not be there for them when they retire, 16.5% say it will be and 37% aren’t sure. 68.6% think they will see tax hikes in the next 3 years to pay for proposed legislation such as healthcare reform and Cap and Trade, 11.5% say taxes will not increase and 19.9% don’t know.
On the international front, 28.4% of Americans believe directly targeting al-Qaida fighters is the right strategy for Afghanistan, 23.1% say pull troops out completely and 18.4% say send in thousands more. Meanwhile, the dialogue between the U.S. and Iran in Geneva did not lessen concerns about Iran’s nuclear capabilities for 66% of Americans, 12.9% say it did (21.1% weren’t concerned prior to the talks). 72.2% believe it is not very/not at all likely that Iran will suspend their uranium enrichment program.