Officially the recession is over and has been over for more than a year, but according to a recent public opinion poll, the US public doesn’t think we’ve seen the last of it yet.
According to the National Bureau of Economic Research, an independent research body, the recession began in December of 2007 and ended in June of 2009. They count it as the worst recession since the Great Depression of the 1930, with no downturn since having the same depth or length.
Contrary to the official line, the American public thinks that the economy is still in recession. In fact, according to a recent CNN/Opinion Research Corp. poll, 74 percent of the US public thinks that the recession is not over, with only a quarter believing the official line that the recession has ended.
The poll, which was conducted between September 21 and 23, comprised 1,010 adults and was taken via phone. With a margin of error rate give or take 3 percent, the poll shows that, while the number of Americans who think the economy is still in recession is high, the percentage has dropped 13 points since August, when a similar poll was taken. This month’s poll also shows that a third of the US public believes the recession is still serious, while 29 percent believe it is only moderately serious.
The poll also showed a more or less even split over approval of the Obama administration’s economic policies, with 47 percent believing they have, or will benefit the economy and 48 percent believing they will not.
