Numbers, Facts and Trends Shaping Your World

Read our research on:

Home Research Topics Economy & Work Economic Conditions

Economic Conditions

All

Economic Conditions

Publications

  • short reads

    One Recession, Two Americas

    While a small majority of Americans experienced a mix of hardships during the recession, nearly half were largely free of economic difficulties.

  • report

    One Recession, Two Americas

    For a narrow majority of Americans (55%), the Great Recession brought a mix of hardships, usually in combination: a spell of unemployment, missed mortgage or rent payments, shrinking paychecks and shattered household budgets, but for the other 45% of the country, the recession was largely free of such difficulties.

  • report

    Walking Away

    Nearly six-in-ten Americans say it is “unacceptable” for homeowners to stop making their mortgage payments, but more than a third say the practice of “walking away” from a home mortgage is acceptable under certain circumstances. Homeowners whose home values declined during the recession and those who have spent time unemployed are more likely to say that “walking away” from a mortgage is acceptable.

  • short reads

    Unemployment Ain’t All Bad

    Close to half of all Americans who spent some time unemployed during the recession say they enjoyed not having to work for a while.

  • short reads

    Personal Cost of Being Unemployed

    Roughly four-in-ten Americans who spent some time unemployed during the recession say they experienced a strain in family relations while out of work.