Personal Finances

reportSep 17, 2010

Few Say Religion Shapes Immigration, Environment Views

Many Americans continue to say their religious beliefs have been highly influential in shaping their views about social issues, including abortion and same-sex marriage. But far fewer cite religion as a top influence on their opinions about several other social and political issues, including how the government should deal with immigration, the environment and poverty. […]
reportSep 15, 2010

A Third of Public Says It’s Sometimes OK for Homeowners to Stop Making Mortgage Payments

More than a third (36%) of Americans say the practice of “walking away” from a home mortgage is acceptable, at least under certain circumstances.
reportSep 15, 2010

Walking Away

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.
reportSep 14, 2010

Mixed Views of GOP Proposals on Entitlements

While a majority of Americans favors allowing changes to Social Security, there is very little support for replacing Medicare with a voucher system. Also, the public continues to see no clear leader atop the GOP.
short readsSep 13, 2010

Luxury to Necessity and Back Again

The recession has made five familiar consumer items far less of a necessity in the lives of Americans.
reportSep 9, 2010

Since the Start of the Great Recession, More Children Raised by Grandparents

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.
reportJul 22, 2010

Lost Income, Lost Friends – and Loss of Self-respect

Long-term unemployment takes a much deeper toll than short-term unemployment on a person’s finances, emotional well-being and career prospects.
reportJun 30, 2010

How the Great Recession Has Changed Life in America

Of the 13 recessions that the American public has endured since the Great Depression of 1929-33, none has presented a more punishing combination of length, breadth and depth than this one.
reportJun 22, 2010

Public Sees a Future Full of Promise and Peril

Most Americans envision a future where cancer is cured and space travel is for everyone. But they also see a world beset by war, energy shortages and a terrorist attack with nuclear weapons. Still, most see a better future for themselves and the nation over the next four decades.
reportJun 22, 2010

Public Sees a Future Full of Promise and Peril

Most Americans envision a future where cancer is cured and space travel is for everyone. But they also see a world beset by war, energy shortages and a terrorist attack with nuclear weapons. Still, most see a better future for themselves and the nation over the next four decades.