News Interest Index: Employment News Seen As Overwhelmingly Bad

Report Read time:
News Interest Index: Employment News Seen As Overwhelmingly Bad

Americans by a wide margin say they are hearing mostly negative news about the nation's job situation, though they are more likely to sense a mix of good and bad news about other elements of the economy.

With the jobless rate climbing, seven-in-ten (71%) say they are hearing mostly bad news about the employment picture. About a quarter (27%) say they are hearing a mix of good and bad news, while just 1 percent say they are hearing mostly good news. Perceptions of news about prices, financial markets and real estate values are more mixed.

Looking at what people are hearing about the economy as a whole, 2009's upward trend toward a greater mix of good and bad economic news has come to a stop. Six-in-ten (59%) say they are hearing a mix of good and bad news, down from 64% in May. In December 2008, shortly after the fall financial meltdown, just 19% said they were hearing a mix of good and bad news.

In addition, the latest weekly News Interest Index survey, conducted June 12-15 by the Pew Research Center for the People & the Press, shows that the share that says they are hearing mostly bad news is up from 31% in May to 37%. In December, 80% said they were hearing mostly bad news.

Read the full report Employment News Seen As Overwhelmingly Bad on the Pew Research Center for the People & the Press' Web site.

America’s Overdose Crisis
America’s Overdose Crisis

America’s Overdose Crisis

Sign up for our five-email course explaining the overdose crisis in America, the state of treatment access, and ways to improve care

Sign up
Quick View
America’s Overdose Crisis

America’s Overdose Crisis

Sign up for our five-email course explaining the overdose crisis in America, the state of treatment access, and ways to improve care

Sign up

MORE FROM PEW

Executive Director and Vice President of LEAD Rebecca Jim poses for a portrait at Tar Creek in Miami, Okla. Advocate Fights Flooding, Inequity in Northeast Oklahoma
Exterior view of a Payday Loan Store in downtown Chicago, Illinois, 2019. (Photo by Interim Archives/Getty Images) How to Reform State Payday Loan Laws
A man talks with Dr. Stela Kostova at Families Together of Orange County in Tustin, CA on Tuesday, February 21, 2023 Local Efforts Show Promise in Addressing Opioid Use Disorder
A blue river meanders through a broad valley of evergreen forest, with patches of open land, as large mountains rise around it on a sunny day. The mountains in the background have rocky peaks above the tree line, and some are snowcapped. Millions of Acres in U.S. Could Gain Better Protection
Composite image of modern city network communication concept

Learn the Basics of Broadband from Our Limited Series

Sign up for our four-week email course on Broadband Basics
Quick View

How does broadband internet reach our homes, phones, and tablets? What kind of infrastructure connects us all together? What are the major barriers to broadband access for American communities?