Two-thirds of Americans rate Job Market in
their region as bad
Two
in five U.S. adults say cutting government spending or
cutting taxes would significantly increase jobs
NEW YORK, Oct. 27, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- As overall
economy woes continue, there has been a strong focus
during this recovery on the issue of jobs. Not only is
there general dissatisfaction with the current job
market, it is at the lowest it's been since over a year
ago.
This month, just 9% of Americans would rate the job
market of their region of the nation as good while 67%
would rate it as bad and one-quarter (24%) say it is
neither good nor bad. This is not that different from
September when 11% of U.S. adults said the job market in
their region was good and 67% said it was bad.
These are some of the results of The
Harris Poll of 2,463 adults surveyed
online between October 10 and 17,
2011 by Harris
Interactive.
In looking at how people in specific regions of the
country think about the job market, Southerners seem to
be more optimistic while things seem to be the worst in
the West. In the South, while only one in ten (11%) say
the job market in their region is good, just three in
five (62%) say it is bad while over one-quarter (27%)
say it is neither good nor bad. Among Westerners, 8% say
the job market in their region is good while
three-quarters (74%) say it is bad.
Increasing jobs in the U.S.
When asked, among six suggestions, what
would significantly increase jobs in the
United States, more than two in five
Americans (44%) say cutting government
spending and two in five (40%) say cutting
taxes for Americans. Over one-third of U.S.
adults (36%) believe reducing business
regulations would significantly increase
jobs while 34% say cutting taxes on
businesses and corporations, 29% say
lowering interest rates, and 12% say more
government spending. Almost one-quarter
(22%) say none of these six actions would
significantly increase jobs in the U.S.
There are definitely partisan differences on what would
increase jobs in the U.S. Republicans are much more
likely than Democrats to say cutting government spending
will create jobs (63% versus 27%), reducing business
regulation (55% versus 19%), cutting taxes on businesses
and corporations (50% versus 22%), and cutting taxes
(50% versus 33%). Democrats, however, are only more
likely than Republicans to say more government spending
will increase jobs (21% versus 1%).
So What?
Americans are clearly not sure where the jobs will come
from, but one thing is clear – they are definitely not
happy with the current state of the job market. They are
looking to someone for answers and, at the moment, they
are looking towards the President. If he can give them
hope, they will probably think better of him. But, they
aren't seeing that and after three years in office, this
may be one of the things that cause them to look
elsewhere next November.
|
TABLE 1
RATING OF CURRENT JOB MARKET - TREND
"How would you rate the current job
market of your region of the
nation?"
Base: All adults |
|
| |
2008 |
2009 |
|
|
June |
July |
Jan |
April |
June |
Aug |
Sept |
Oct |
Nov |
Dec |
|
|
% |
% |
% |
% |
% |
% |
% |
% |
% |
% |
|
|
GOOD (NET) |
28 |
30 |
6 |
12 |
9 |
8 |
10 |
10 |
8 |
9 |
|
|
Neither good nor bad |
18 |
19 |
18 |
20 |
19 |
21 |
22 |
20 |
18 |
19 |
|
|
BAD (NET) |
53 |
51 |
76 |
68 |
72 |
71 |
68 |
70 |
73 |
72 |
|
| |
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
|
| |
2010 |
|
|
Jan |
Mar. |
April |
May |
June |
Aug |
Sept |
Oct |
Nov |
Dec |
|
|
% |
% |
% |
% |
% |
% |
% |
% |
% |
% |
|
|
GOOD (NET) |
10 |
8 |
10 |
12 |
10 |
12 |
10 |
13 |
11 |
13 |
|
|
Neither good nor bad |
20 |
18 |
21 |
20 |
25 |
22 |
21 |
21 |
23 |
24 |
|
|
BAD (NET) |
70 |
73 |
70 |
68 |
66 |
66 |
69 |
66 |
66 |
63 |
|
| |
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
|
| |
Jan |
Feb |
March |
May |
July |
Sept |
Oct |
|
|
% |
% |
% |
% |
% |
% |
% |
|
|
GOOD (NET) |
13 |
15 |
13 |
16 |
12 |
11 |
9 |
|
|
Neither good nor bad |
22 |
24 |
22 |
23 |
24 |
22 |
24 |
|
|
BAD (NET) |
65 |
61 |
65 |
61 |
64 |
67 |
67 |
|
|
Note: Percentages may not add to 100% due to
rounding |
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
TABLE 2
RATING OF CURRENT JOB MARKET IN YOUR REGION – BY
REGION
"How would
you rate the current job market of your region
of the nation?"
Base: All adults |
|
| |
Total |
Region |
|
|
East |
Midwest |
South |
West |
|
|
% |
% |
% |
% |
% |
|
|
GOOD (NET) |
9 |
10 |
7 |
11 |
8 |
|
|
Very good |
1 |
2 |
1 |
1 |
* |
|
|
Somewhat good |
8 |
7 |
6 |
10 |
8 |
|
|
Neither good nor bad |
24 |
23 |
25 |
27 |
18 |
|
|
BAD (NET) |
67 |
67 |
67 |
62 |
74 |
|
|
Somewhat bad |
41 |
43 |
44 |
36 |
43 |
|
|
Very bad |
26 |
25 |
24 |
26 |
31 |
|
|
Note: Percentages may not add to 100% due to
rounding; * indicates less than .05% |
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
TABLE 3
WHAT WOULD INCREASE JOBS
"Which of the following do you think would
significantly increase jobs in the U.S.?"
Base: All adults |
|
| |
Total |
Political Party |
Generation |
|
|
Rep. |
Dem. |
Ind. |
Echo
Boomers
(18-34) |
Gen X
(35-46) |
Baby
Boomers
(47-65) |
Matures
(66+) |
|
|
% |
% |
% |
% |
% |
% |
% |
% |
|
|
Cutting government spending |
44 |
63 |
27 |
43 |
37 |
43 |
46 |
52 |
|
|
Cutting taxes for Americans |
40 |
50 |
33 |
39 |
34 |
45 |
41 |
37 |
|
|
Reducing business regulation |
36 |
55 |
19 |
40 |
27 |
33 |
39 |
50 |
|
|
Cutting taxes on businesses and corporations |
34 |
50 |
22 |
37 |
25 |
36 |
37 |
44 |
|
|
Lowering interest rates |
29 |
26 |
28 |
31 |
28 |
32 |
30 |
22 |
|
|
More government spending |
12 |
1 |
21 |
12 |
13 |
9 |
14 |
11 |
|
|
None of these |
22 |
12 |
28 |
22 |
29 |
25 |
18 |
17 |
|
|
Note: Multiple responses accepted |
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
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Methodology
This Harris Poll was conducted online within the United
States between October 10 and 17, 2011 among 2,463
adults (aged 18 and over). Figures for age, sex,
race/ethnicity, education, region and household income
were weighted where necessary to bring them into line
with their actual proportions in the population.
Propensity score weighting was also used to adjust for
respondents' propensity to be online.
All sample surveys and polls, whether or not they use
probability sampling, are subject to multiple sources of
error which are most often not possible to quantify or
estimate, including sampling error, coverage error,
error associated with nonresponse, error associated with
question wording and response options, and post-survey
weighting and adjustments. Therefore, Harris Interactive
avoids the words "margin of error" as they are
misleading. All that can be calculated are different
possible sampling errors with different probabilities
for pure, unweighted, random samples with 100% response
rates. These are only theoretical because no published
polls come close to this ideal.
Respondents for this survey were selected from among
those who have agreed to participate in Harris
Interactive surveys. The data have been weighted to
reflect the composition of the adult population. Because
the sample is based on those who agreed to participate
in the Harris Interactive panel, no estimates of
theoretical sampling error can be calculated.
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