59% Expect Interest Rates to Go Up Over the Next Year

The number of adults nationwide who expect interest rates to go up over the next year has risen again this month to a new high. 

A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 59% of American Adults think interest rates will be higher one year from now. Only five percent (5%) say rates will be lower by then, while 26% say they will be about the same as they are now. (To see survey question wording, click here.) 

Last month, 57% predicted an interest rate hike over the next year.The number of adults who expect higher interest rates is up 11 points from October. The findings to this question stayed within a narrow 50% to 54% range from mid-2009 through October of last year, while only 34% expected interest rates to increase back in April 2009. 

The majority of Americans across virtually all demographic categories expect interest rates to be higher in a year's time.

Fifty-three percent (53%) of Americans say the interest rates they are paying today are about the same as a year ago. One-in-four (26%) say they are paying higher interest rates than a year ago, and half as many (13%) say their interest rates are lower. This is similar to results found in January, and although there has been some fluctuation, this has been the general finding since mid-2009. 

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The survey of 1,000 Adults was conducted on February 27-28, 2011 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is +/- 3 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Field work for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC. See methodology.