The American government portrays an optimistic recovery story, but what do the American people have to say about the post-recession economy? According to responses to a recent survey, America’s citizens, who have largely been battling a war against credit card debt and soaring unemployment rates are less than certain about the direction the economy is currently taking.
It is believed that unemployment plays a large part of the survey responses. The United States Department of Labor states that the unemployment rate has increased from 5 percent at the recession’s onset, to 9.7 percent in January 2010. January brought job losses of 20,000 following 85,000 losses in December.
The results of the Harris Interactive survey, which was conducted during the week of January 18, clearly demonstrate that approximately 40 percent of the respondents reported earning less now that they did before the recession began with only 18 percent saying that their household income has increased.
40 percent of the survey participants also say that they have not been able to save as much money as they could before the recession began, whole 18 percent stated that they had increased their amount saved.
Only 14 percent of the respondents indicated that they believed that the economy was showing positive signs of improvement. These results indicate that the fight is still on and that debt, high costs, and insufficient income are still playing a large part in the everyday lives of American consumers.
