Fewer See Major Depression Coming, Still Pessimistic About Housing, Stock Markets
With more Americans expecting a stronger economy next year, they are also less inclined to believe a 1930s-like depression is in the cards. Still, most don’t expect the housing or stock markets to make a full recovery anytime soon.
The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey of American Adults shows that 40% still believe the United States is at least somewhat likely to enter an economic depression similar to the one during the 1930s in the next few years. This finding includes 15% who think it's Very Likely. The overall finding is down from 52% in November and is the lowest recorded in three years of regular tracking.
Forty-eight percent (48%) don’t see a 1930s-like economic depression as likely in the near future, but just nine percent (9%) say it’s Not At All Likely to happen. Eleven percent (11%) aren’t sure. (To see survey question wording, click here.)
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The survey of 1,000 Adults was conducted on February 11-12, 2012 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.
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