Economy & Work

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.

About one out of five of the nation’s households owed student debt in 2010, more than double the share two decades earlier.

President Obama’s trip to South Africa this week aims to strengthen economic ties between the two countries at a time when China’s growing economic presence in the region has added a new dynamic. According to the European Commission, in 2011, China accounted for a larger share of South Africa’s trade than the U.S. did. And the […]

Overview Favorable opinions of both business corporations and labor unions have rebounded from record lows reached in the summer of 2011. Overall, more Americans now hold a favorable (55%) than an unfavorable (39%) view of business corporations; two years ago, opinion was reversed (52% unfavorable, 38% favorable). Similarly, views of labor unions have returned to […]

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 […]

A chart based on American Community Survey data shows how unevenly food stamp recipients are distributed across the country.

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 […]

The closer the country is to the outer edge of the spider graph, the more negative its attitudes are; the closer it is to the center of the graph, the more positive its attitudes are. To see more countries, select in the legend below.

While the stock market has been surging, there is a big gap who who benefits that has implications for the strength of the economic recovery.