http://blogs.wsj.com/washwire/2015/03/15/american-class-perceptions-weather-economic-storm/?mod=WSJ_hp_LEFTTopStories
"American Class Perceptions Weather Economic Storm"
Two take-aways from this article
1) Most Americans continue to see themselves as middle-class or within reach of middle class status
2) Most Americans do not understand inflation or the perception of what real income level needed to be in the middle class changed (I think they might both be true)
The article re-asked segments of American society where they think they are in the economic distribution, and how they felt about the state of the middle class in general.
5 comments:
I also thought it was interesting that the numbers from the survey undercut the notion that the middle class feels increasingly out of reach for the poor and working class. Both the poor and the working class believe they are likely to climb into the middle class in the next five to seven years.
This poll is in line with the latest consumer confidence and employment data, although is slightly surprising given some loud pessimism from the middle and upper-middle classes. I think that it will be interesting to revisit a similar sample in a year (especially with elections on the way) to see if people have perceived any change in their own standing and if their optimism carries over. Then again, this is very much in line with our cultural history in economic terms: Americans, by and large, do tend to be optimistic about their own futures and projections for the nation's economic future even in times of economic instability or crisis.
Interesting article. I would say the perception of people or consumer confidence does not reflect the accurate picture of the economy. There is an extensive gap between socio-economic classes in the United States
This is an interesting article. In other articles I've read, research shows that most Americans actually earn around the same amount as the generation before them. However, based on this article Americans feel like it is possible to move up the income ladder.
I am very interested in monitoring how people feel in the near future, and see if the middle class persist as described in this article. I also am curious of the phycology of the middle class and if that plays a role in what keeps people locked into it and not moving upward. I also am interested in the follow through with lower and middle classes moving upward. Are they actively using resources or just hoping.
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