31% Expect Unemployment Rate To Be Even Higher A Year From Now
Even as the government releases a new report showing surprisingly little job creation in May and an increase in the unemployment rate, nearly one-out-of-three Americans predict that the unemployment rate will be higher a year from now.
The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 31% of American Adults think unemployment will be higher a year from today, up five points from March and the most pessimistic attitude toward the jobs market since last June.
Nearly as many (29%) think the unemployment rate will be lower in a year’s time, up slightly from the previous survey as well. Thirty-two percent (32%) say the rate of unemployment will stay about the same. (To see survey question wording, click here.)
Still, 21% of Americans think the job market is better now that it was a year ago, a level of optimism exceeded only once in the past 18 months. Generally during that period, anywhere from 14% to 19% shared that view. But nearly twice as many (39%) feel the job market is worse than a year ago, while 35% say it’s about the same.
In May of last year, the unemployment rate was 9.6%. Last month, it stood at 9.1%.
(Want a free daily e-mail update? If it's in the news, it's in our polls). Rasmussen Reports updates are also available on Twitter or Facebook.
The survey of 1,000 Adults was conducted on June 1-2, 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.
Rasmussen Reports is a media company specializing in the collection, publication and distribution of public opinion information.
We conduct public opinion polls on a variety of topics to inform our audience on events in the news and other topics of interest. To ensure editorial control and independence, we pay for the polls ourselves and generate revenue through the sale of subscriptions, sponsorships, and advertising. Nightly polling on politics, business and lifestyle topics provides the content to update the Rasmussen Reports web site many times each day. If it's in the news, it's in our polls. Additionally, the data drives a daily update newsletter and various media outlets across the country.
Some information, including the Rasmussen Reports daily Presidential Tracking Poll and commentaries are available for free to the general public. Subscriptions are available for $4.95 a month or 34.95 a year that provide subscribers with exclusive access to more than 20 stories per week on upcoming elections, consumer confidence, and issues that affect us all. For those who are really into the numbers, Platinum Members can review demographic crosstabs and a full history of our data.
To learn more about our methodology, click here.