Numbers, Facts and Trends Shaping Your World

Home Research Topics Economy & Work Economic Conditions

Economic Conditions

All

Economic Conditions

Publications

Filtering by:
Reset
  • short reads

    Unemployment & Presidential Approval

    The unemployment rate stood at 7.6% when Obama took office; its rise, and the corresponding fall in Obama’s approval rating, so far mirrors Reagan’s first term.

  • report

    It’s All About Jobs, Except When It’s Not

    A look at the connection between the rise and fall of joblessness and the political fortunes of past presidents in the modern era is instructive although the lessons to be drawn are far from crystal clear. Thus far, only Ronald Reagan’s ratings in his first term have borne as close a connection as have Obama’s to changes in the unemployment rate.

  • report

    Public’s Priorities for 2010: Economy, Jobs, Terrorism

    Summary of Findings As Barack Obama begins his second year in office, the public’s priorities for the president and Congress remain much as they were one year ago. Strengthening the nation’s economy and improving the job situation continue to top the list. And, in the wake of the failed Christmas Day terrorist attack on a […]

  • report

    Home for the Holidays… and Every Other Day

    Instead of traveling across country or across town for Thanksgiving this year, many grown sons and daughters will be coming to dinner from their old bedroom down the hall, which now doubles as their recession-era refuge.

  • short reads

    Surfing When Not Suffering Online

    Three-in-four Americans who go online for economic reasons also use the internet to take their minds off the recession.

  • report

    Mixed Views of Economic Policies and Health Care Reform Persist

    Overview Public opinion is conflicted regarding the two major domestic issues of the day – the economy and health care reform. On the economy, most Americans remain optimistic that Barack Obama’s policies will help, but the public expresses mixed views of the steps he has taken so far and sees no clear signs of recovery […]

  • report

    Covering the Great Recession

    The economic downturn has made headlines for months. How has the press covered the gravest financial crisis since the Great Depression? What elements of the economic story make the most news? Who is driving the coverage? PEJ addresses these questions and more in a new report on press coverage of the economy.

  • report

    Recession Turns a Graying Office Grayer

    Older adults are staying in the labor force longer, and younger adults are staying out of it longer. Both trends intensified with the recession and are expected to continue after the economy recovers. One reason: Older workers value not just a paycheck, but the psychological and social rewards.

  • report

    Recession Turns a Graying Office Grayer

    The American work force is graying — and not just because the American population itself is graying. Older adults are staying in the labor force longer, and younger adults are staying out of it longer.

  • report

    More See White House and GOP Leaders at Odds

    Overview Americans are in an increasingly sour mood about Washington. Barack Obama’s approval ratings continue to inch downward and a growing proportion of Americans (63%) think that the president and Republican leaders are not working together to deal with important issues facing the nation; in June, 50% said the two sides were not cooperating. While […]