Economic Conditions

The first read on each quarter's GDP growth is eagerly anticipated by economists, forecasters and pundits of all stripes. But those numbers are almost certain to be revised; their true value lies in what they say about the U.S. economy's overall direction.

Despite modestly positive macroeconomic trends, many Americans feel lukewarm or worse about the economy. Five less-common indicators may help explain why.

Can a president control gas prices? The answer depends on whether you ask a Republican or a Democrat -- and which party occupies the White House.

As President Obama prepares to make a "major" speech on the economy today, our past reports describe the challenges the middle class has faced in the past decades.

Overview Four years after the recession officially ended, the economic recovery remains a long way off in the view of many Americans. A new survey by the Pew Research Center,  conducted July 17-21 among 1,480 adults, finds that 44% say it will be a long time before the nation’s economy recovers. Smaller percentages say either […]

Every month when the Bureau of Labor Statistics releases its jobs report, people home in on one particular metric: the unemployment rate. But there are a lot of other interesting and potentially significant data in the report, though interpreting them appropriately can be tricky. Take, for example, the duration of unemployment. There’s little doubt that more […]

At midyear, the national opinion polls provide little indication of which way the political wind is blowing looking ahead to 2014, and 2016. Most of the key public opinion measures are mixed, or uncertain.

Overview In a second term marked by a series of controversies and little legislative success, President Obama’s job approval rating has nonetheless remained fairly steady. Currently, 49% approve of the way Obama is handling his job as president while 43% disapprove. That is little changed from a month ago, before the NSA surveillance controversy and […]

Fewer than one in five Americans rate the U.S. economy as "excellent" or "good"

The Mediterranean is a sea of misery, according to the Pew Research Center’s recent report on global economic trends. Nations ringing the Mediterranean consistently rank at or near the top of multiple measures of pessimism in the 39-country survey. And, in what should surprise exactly no one, Greece has by far the bleakest outlook, topping […]