UTICA, New York - Large numbers of U.S. adults can't keep up with economic changes and have seen their finances and quality of life decline since the start of the recession.

• 44% said the economy is changing faster than they are able to change their habits.
• Only 12% are better off now than they were at the start of the recession.
• 42% report that their quality of life has declined over that same period, and only 7% say it has improved. The rest, 51%, have had no change or are not sure.

Those conclusions are drawn from a Zogby Interactive survey of 41,175 adults conducted from July 2-27, 2009. The margin of error is +/- 0.5%.

These opinions are widespread. There are differences among age, income and ideological subgroups.

Household income is the most consistent difference on all three questions. For example, 41% of those in households making $25,000 or less say they can't keep up. A plurality of all adults making $75,000 or more says they are keeping up. On the question of whether they are better off than before the recession, responses are nearly identical for every income group below $250,000 and up mark. In the $250,000 and more subgroup, 21% are better off.  For the quality of life measure, among those earning below $25,000, 52% chose decline, compared to 30% of those at or above $250,000.)

College graduates, 18-29-year-old First Globals^TM, big city residents, singles and men are all more positive on all questions than are people who are 65 and older, rural residents, married people with children under 17 and women. The disparity between First Globals^TM and the 65 and older generation of Privates are particularly large. For example, only 2% report of Privates say that their quality of life has improved and just 6% say they are better off financially; while for First Globals^TM, percentages are 13% for quality of life and 23% for being better off.

Also, on every question, both Democrats and liberals report they are doing better than are Republicans and conservatives.

Pollster John Zogby: "Americans across the board have been hard hit by the recession. They will need to see tangible improvements in their lives, not just news about the recession bottoming out, before their mood will improve."

For a complete methodological statement on this survey, please visit:

https://www.zogby.com/methodology/readmeth.cfm?ID=1411

Please click the link below to view the full news release:
https://www.zogby.com/news/ReadNews.cfm?ID=1736

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