Report

Our review of a broad range of reputable polls on economic issues finds a big difference between the policy solutions that dominate the discussion among policymakers and media pundits and what the majority of average citizens would like to be brought to the forefront.

Social Security

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Recent history offers a number of cases in which the government responded adequately and appropriately when there was evidence of major, systemic financial fraud, including the Savings and Loan scandal of the 1980s and the Enron scandal of more recent years.  

In responding to the fraud leading up to the Great Recession, however, the federal government has not followed the precedent set by these and other cases.  Investigations are hampered by a lack of adequate resources, weak oversight and poor coordination of interagency efforts, creating the appearance of an unwillingness to follow the chain of evidence wherever it may lead.

The Federal government's efforts also appear to lack a sense of urgency, despite the fact that the statute of limitations is expiring in many instances where there was apparent fraud.  The implications for failing to respond adequately to this crisis are enormous, both in ensuring that justice is done and in preventing future crimes and future crises of this kind.

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This morning’s release of the June 2011 Employment Situation report by the Bureau of Labor Statistics showed a labor market in retreat. Virtually every single measure was weak: only 18,000 payroll jobs were added, nominal wages fell, unemployment was up in almost all age groups, more than 250,000 workers dropped out of the labor force altogether, and the public sector continued to bleed jobs. Furthermore, a downward revision to last month’s data means that this is the second month in a row with job growth at 25,000 or less. This is a remarkable, across-the-board backslide. more »

A new Democracy Corps/Campaign for America's Future survey on House Republican budget proposal shows Americans are skeptical of Republicans in Congress and the Tea Party movement, and cautious about the deficit reduction plan.

Our data shows that proposals to dismantle Medicare in the 2012 House Republican budget could sink the political futures of those who for it. When the budget is described, using the language of its chief author, support collapses to 36 percent. The proposed cuts to Medicare raise concerns for nearly two-thirds of respondents. more »

Democracy Corps surveyed 1,000 likely 2012 voters from Feb. 7-9, testing voters’ responses to the Republican proposal to cut $32 billion from the federal budget. more »

Politicians will face major voter backlash if they advocate cuts in Social Security benefits or choose deficit reduction over job creation, according to a poll by Greenberg Quinlan Rosner commissioned by the Campaign for America’s Future and Democracy Corps. This poll is based on interviews with 1,000 voters and is an in-depth look at how both conservative and progressive approaches toward federal spending resonate with likely voters. more »