Kevin Hasset at Bloomberg.Com has some interesting poll results from the U.S.
A recent, thorough study of public attitudes by my colleague at the American Enterprise Institute, Karlyn Bowman, reveals startling patterns in the attitudes of Americans toward the economy. At this moment, they are about as satisfied as they have ever been. . . .
In 1975, 83 percent of Americans said they are either not at all likely or not too likely to lose their job. In 1998, at the peak of the ``Clinton boom,'' 87 percent responded in that manner. In 2006, 89 percent of Americans felt secure. The sense of security is increasing.
A poll conducted by CBS News and the New York Times asked people how concerned they are that they or someone in their household might lose their job in the next year. In 1994, 40 percent weren't concerned at all. That number declined sharply through 1996, when it troughed at 29 percent, but it was back to 39 percent in 2004. Since the middle of the Clinton presidency, feelings of job security have advanced sharply.
In 1989, Gallup asked people how satisfied they were with their work. Forty-five percent said they were completely satisfied. In 2005, that number had climbed to 52 percent.
In 1991, the Los Angeles Times began asking people about their personal financial situation. Back then, 68 percent of Americans thought their finances were either very secure or fairly secure. That number dropped to 57 percent by 1993 but climbed all the way to 71 percent by last January. Again, people feel more secure today.
That is the sort of thing you find out when you ask people who do not work at the New York Times.
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