Recessions & Recoveries

The number of children living with a grandparent who serves as a primary caregiver increased by 6% from 2007 to 2008.

More than a third (36%) of Americans say the practice of "walking away" from a home mortgage is acceptable, at least under certain circumstances.

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.

The recession has made five familiar consumer items far less of a necessity in the lives of Americans.

One child in 10 in the United States lives with a grandparent, a share that increased slowly and steadily over the past decade before rising sharply from 2007 to 2008, the first year of the Great Recession.

Workers who suffered a spell of unemployment during Great Recession are, on average, less satisfied with their new jobs than workers who didn't. They are more likely to consider themselves over-qualified for their current position.

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.

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

A majority of Americans say that the economy is still in a recession.