Economic Conditions

For years, public trust in the federal government has hovered at near-record lows. That remains the case today, as the United States struggles with a pandemic and economic recession.

Assessments of national economies have seen swift downturns in many countries, and few see improvements anytime soon.

Response to the pandemic has pushed the federal budget higher than it's been in decades, but Americans are slightly less concerned about the deficit than in recent years.

Across 34 countries, a median of 65% said in 2019 they felt pessimistic about reducing the gap between the rich and poor in their country.

As the nation’s economy contracted at a record rate in recent months, the group’s unemployment rate rose sharply, particularly among Hispanic women, and remains higher among Hispanic workers than U.S. workers overall.

Between February and June 2020, the share of young adults who are neither enrolled in school nor employed has more than doubled.

Compared with 2000, suburban populations are less engaged in the labor market, experiencing declining incomes and seeing home values that have not kept pace with those of the central cities.

Democrats are generally far more likely than Republicans to view several concerns, including COVID-19, as very big problems in the country.

The official U.S. unemployment rate understated the situation for women, Asian Americans, immigrants and workers without a bachelor’s degree.

The experiences of several groups of workers in the COVID-19 outbreak vary notably from how they experienced the Great Recession.