American Pulse(TM): Majority Say Stimulus Package Not Working, Will Feel Better When Unemployment Drops

COLUMBUS, OH, Oct 08 (MARKET WIRE) --
55.6% of Americans say the economic stimulus package is not working,
according to the latest American Pulse Survey of 5,024 Americans.
Further, the failing economy is seen as the number one threat to
American's rights as citizens (28.5% say so), above proposed healthcare
reform (15%), Social Security running out of money (14.7%) and even
terrorism (11.3%).

It appears that most are watching the unemployment levels to signal the
end of the recession, a sentiment echoed across all political parties.
Americans, however, aren't as likely to view a declaration by either Ben
Bernanke or President Obama as a sign that the recession is over.

What sign do you believe will best demonstrate to you that the recession is
over?

Adults 18+ Republicans Democrats Independents
The Federal Reserve 3.5% 4.0% 4.6% 2.4%
Chairman, Ben Bernanke,
declares it over

Wall Street stock indexes 8.9% 10.5% 8.6% 7.3%
show it's over

Unemployment levels decline 72.1% 74.7% 72.9% 74.1%

President Obama says it's 4.7% 1.8% 6.4% 4.7%
over

Other 10.7% 9.0% 7.5% 11.5%

Source: BIGresearch, American Pulse - Oct 09

Worries about whether Social Security will be there when they retire
and potential tax increases are also weighing on the minds of weary
consumers. Almost half (46.5%) of those who qualify believe Social
Security will not be there for them when they retire, 16.5% say it will
be and 37% aren't sure. 68.6% think they will see tax hikes in the next 3
years to pay for proposed legislation such as healthcare reform and Cap
and Trade, 11.5% say taxes will not increase and 19.9% don't know.

On the international front, 28.4% of Americans believe directly targeting
al-Qaida fighters is the right strategy for Afghanistan, 23.1% say pull
troops out completely and 18.4% say send in thousands more. Meanwhile, the
dialogue between the U.S. and Iran in Geneva did not lessen concerns about
Iran's nuclear capabilities for 66% of Americans, 12.9% say it did (21.1%
weren't concerned prior to the talks). 72.2% believe it is not very/not at
all likely that Iran will suspend their uranium enrichment program.

For the full complimentary report (segments include age, income, gender
and political party): http://americanpulse.bigresearch.com.

About American Pulse(TM)

The American Pulse(TM) Survey is collected online by BIGresearch every
month exclusively utilizing Survey Sampling International's (SSI) U.S.
panel covering topics such as politics, pop culture and the economy. Over
4,000 respondents participate, providing greater insights into how
Americans really feel about issues they currently face. The use of the
Artafact online blog as a listening post to develop the questions posed in
the monthly American Pulse survey is a very effective use of both online
qualitative and quantitative research. http://www.bigresearch.com

About Survey Sampling International (SSI)

Survey Sampling International is the premier global provider of sampling
solutions for survey research. SSI offers access to more than 6 million
consumer and business-to-business research respondents in 54 countries via
Internet, telephone, and mobile. Additional client services include custom
profiling, survey programming and hosting, data processing, sampling
consulting, and survey optimization. SSI serves more than 1,800 marketing
research clients, including nearly three-quarters of the top researchers
worldwide. Founded in 1977, SSI has an international staff of 400 people
representing 50 countries and 36 languages. The company is based in
Shelton, CT with 14 additional offices worldwide.
http://www.surveysampling.com

Contacts:
BIGresearch
Chrissy Wissinger
Email Contact
614.846.0146

SSI
Diane Urso
Email Contact
203.567.7236

Copyright 2009, Market Wire, All rights reserved.

-0-