One Recession, Two Americas
For a narrow majority of Americans (55%), the Great Recession brought a mix of unemployment, missed mortgage or rent payments, shrinking paychecks and shattered household budgets. But for the other 45%, the recession was largely free of such difficulties.
Many Say Coverage of the Poor and Minorities Is Too Negative
Pluralities say that coverage of poor people and Muslims is too negative, while somewhat smaller percentages say the same about coverage of blacks and Hispanics. About a third say that coverage of wealthy people is too positive — the highest percentage for any group tested.
Government Economic Policies Seen as Boon for Banks and Big Business, Not Middle Class or Poor
Partisan groups disagree sharply about many aspects of the government’s anti-recession policies — with two notable exceptions: Large majorities of independents, Republicans and Democrats all say large banks and financial institutions got the most help while few in each group say the policies have done much for the poor.
India’s Census and the Caste Question
In a controversial decision, government leaders in India have agreed that the nation’s 2011 census could include a tally of castes, the complex structure of traditional social classes last enumerated in 1931.
What Divides America?
While conflict over race may be America’s most historical and inflamed division, more Americans currently see divisions between immigrants and native-born Americans, as well as rich-poor divides, as stronger social conflicts.
Before the Current Recession, a Phantom Recovery
Pew Research Center Executive Vice President Paul Taylor’s full testimony to the Senate Finance Committee.
The Globe’s Emerging Middle Classes
As economically developing countries grow prosperous, their middle classes understandably become more satisfied with their lives and their values become more like those of the publics of advanced nations.
Middle Class, By the Numbers
The plight of Middle Americans has been much invoked by candidates from both parties this election year. Who are these folk? Here’s a self-portrait painted in statistics.
America’s Four Middle Classes
The Top of the Class, the Satisfied Middle, the Anxious Middle and the Struggling Middle – what unites and divides the majority of Americans who call themselves “middle class.”
The Middle Class Blues: Pricey Neighborhoods, High Stress
When it comes to anxiety about family finances, an old truism applies: Where you stand depends on where you sit. Or, more precisely, on where your house or apartment sits.
