When one thinks of the economy, there are different permutations of it. Are Americans thinking of the U.S. economy? Probably, but there is also the European economy and the Asian economy to consider as well and how confident are Americans in the overall strength of each of these. When it comes to the U.S. and global economy, Americans are split and there is uncertainty regarding the European and Asian economies.
These are some of the results of BBC World News America/Harris Poll[R] of 3,636 adults surveyed online between September 9 and 14, 2009 by Harris Interactive[R].
Just under half of Americans (48%) say they are confident in the overall strength of the U.S. economy but the same number (48%) say they are not confident. More U.S. adults are not at all confident (17%) in the strength of the American economy than are very confident (11%). This split holds true for the overall global economy as 44% of Americans are confident in its strength while 43% are not at all confident.
There is a bit more uncertainty on the part of Americans when it comes to the European and Asian economies. Over two in five (43%) U.S. adults are confident in the overall strength of the European economy and 36% are not confident. There is a bit more confidence in the Asian economy strength as 46% of Americans are confident in its strength while one-third (32%) are not confident. But one in five Americans are not sure about the European economy (21%) or the Asian economy (22%). Health care or economic recovery In the past few weeks, the Obama Administration has been making a strong push to pass health care reform. While both health care reform and fostering economic recovery are obviously important, seven in ten Americans (71%) believe President Obama and his administration should focus on fostering economic recovery first while 29% say he should focus on health care reform first. Household income does show a difference in this - those with a household income of less than $35,000 are more likely to say health care reform should be focused on first (34%) while those with a household income of $75,000 or more say it should be economic recovery (77%). Likelihood of health care passage While the Obama administration has been trying to push passage of health care reform this year, most Americans are doubtful this will actually occur. Seven in ten (71%) believe it is not likely that this will be signed into law by the end of 2009 and just 29% say it is likely. There is more optimism for the end of next spring as 51% of Americans say it is likely to occur by then and 49% say it is not likely. But, almost two-thirds of U.S. adults (64%) say health care reform will be signed into law by the end of next summer while 36% say it is still not likely to happen by then. So What? While President Obama has been spending so much of his time attempting to pass health reform, he and many of his surrogates on the issue are being met with resistance by the American public. One reason may be a sense that the wrong priority is taking center stage. People are still suffering economically and the Administration may be spreading itself too thin in trying to do too much. No one will ever argue that health care reform is not important, but if it comes at the expense of fostering economic recovery, Americans may not want to see that choice made right now. Now, they are more interested to know what will be done to instill confidence in world economies and in revitalizing the job market. Until they know that, they may not want to hear anything else. The Harris Poll[R] #107 By Regina A. Corso, Director, The Harris Poll Methodology This BBC World News America/Harris Poll was conducted online within the United States September 9 and 14, 2009 among 3,636 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. Full data tables and methodology are available at www.harrisinteractive.com. These statements conform to the principles of disclosure of the National Council on Public Polls. About Harris Interactive Harris Interactive is a global leader in custom market research. With a long and rich history in multimodal research, powered by our science and technology, we assist clients in achieving business results. Harris Interactive serves clients globally through our North American, European and Asian offices and a network of independent market research firms. For more information, please visit www.harrisinteractive.com. About the BBC AMERICA BBC AMERICA brings audiences a new generation of award-winning television featuring news with a uniquely global perspective, provocative dramas, razor-sharp comedies and life-changing makeovers. BBC AMERICA pushes the boundaries to deliver high quality, highly addictive and eminently watchable programming to viewers who demand more. BBC AMERICA is distributed by Discovery Networks. It is available on digital cable and satellite TV in more than 64 million homes. For up-to-the-minute information on BBC AMERICA, forthcoming U.S. premieres, art work and news from the channel, log on to www.press.bbcamerica.com.
[c]2009 Harris Interactive, Inc. All rights reserved.
Keywords: Harris Interactive, Public Policy and Government, Healthcare Reform, Congressional News and Views, Elections and Campaign, Asia, Asian, Data Management, Data Tables, Economics, Economies, Global Economy, Science And Technology, Technology, Television.
This article was prepared by China Weekly News editors from staff and other reports. Copyright 2009, China Weekly News via VerticalNews.com.
