Republished with permission of Rasmussen Reports
http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/business/general_business/july_2010/42_say_no_jobs_available_in_america_42_disagree
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
Americans are now evenly divided over whether anyone who wants to work can find a job in the United States.
A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 42% believe it’s still possible to find work in America, but that’s down 10 points from 52% the month President Obama took office. Forty-two percent (42%) say it’s no longer possible for those who want to work to find employment. Another 16% aren’t sure.
Over half of Adults (53%) continue to believe it is no longer possible to work hard and get rich in the United States. That view remains largely unchanged since Obama became president in January of last year. Thirty percent (30%) say it is possible to work hard and get rich, but another 17% are not sure.
Despite the Obama administration’s insistence that the economy is improving slightly, Americans are less confident than they were 18 months ago that it is possible for anyone to work their way out of poverty in the United States. Forty-eight percent (48%) say that’s still true, but 56% felt that way in March 2009. Thirty-two percent (32%) say it is no longer possible. One-in-five voters (20%) aren’t sure.
Americans’ confidence in the short-term economy has slipped this month to its lowest level in well over a year. Just 35% believe the economy will be stronger in one year’s time. Forty-five percent (45%) believe the economy will be weaker one year from now.
Thirty-four percent (34%) believe unemployment will be even higher a year from now.
The survey of 1,000 Adults was conducted on July 23-24, 2010 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is +/- 3 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Field work for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC. See methodology.
Only 19% of Americans say today’s children will be better off than their parents, a figure that also has been trending down since January 2009. Fifty-nine percent (59%) disagree, and 23% are not sure.
Republicans are more optimistic about the possibility of finding a job than are Democrats and adults not affiliated with either major political party.
Married adults and adults with children at home are slightly more upbeat than unmarried adults and adults with no children living with them.
Men are more likely to believe than women that it’s still possible to work hard and get rich. African-Americans are more positive about this than whites and voters of other ethnicities.
Entrepreneurs are much more likely to think it’s still possible to get rich than workers in any other sector. Investors believe this more than non-investors.
Adults who are married and those who have children in their home are more confident that it’s possible to work one’s way out of poverty than unmarried adults and adults who do not have children living with them.
Adults with children at home are also slightly more optimistic about their future than adults who do not have children at home.
Forty-seven percent (47%) of voters still blame today’s economic problems on the recession that began during the presidency of George W. Bush, but 45% say they’re due to Obama’s policies.
The economy nearly always ranks as the most important issue among Likely Voters.
Voters have mixed feelings about government regulation of big business, but most feel small businesses are regulated too much. Americans overwhelmingly believe more competition and less regulation is better for the economy than more regulation and less competition.
Seventy-five percent (75%) of voters prefer free markets over a government-managed economy.
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Rasmussen Reports is an electronic media company specializing in the collection, publication and distribution of public opinion polling information. Scott Rasmussen, president of Rasmussen Reports, has been an independent pollster for more than a decade.
Disclaimer:
The Views and Opinions Expressed by the author are his or her opinions only and do not necessarily reflect those of Crown Equity Holdings or its agents, affiliates, officers, directors, staff, or contractors. The author at the time of this article did not own any shares or receive any consideration financial or otherwise from any company mentioned or referred to in the article.
