American Pulse: 4 in 5 Americans say Recession Not Over, Healthcare Reform more socialist than capitalist

An overwhelming majority of Americans appear to disagree with Fed Chairman Bernanke's statement that the recession is 'likely over' as 78% say it isn't, according to the latest American Pulse Survey of 6,976 Americans. 76% of Democrats, 84% of Republicans and 75.6% of Independents concur, making this one subject that all parties can agree upon.

On the flip side, no issue divides Democrats, Republicans and Independents more than healthcare. A majority of Democrats say the reform would improve healthcare overall, Republicans say it would put too much control with the government and Independents believe it wouldn't solve healthcare problems.



Based on what you know about the pending healthcare reform, do you believe...? (Check all that apply) Adults 18+ Republicans Democrats Independents It would improve 31.4% 11.3% 51.5% 31.6% healthcare system overall It would put too much 41.1% 68.7% 18.1% 42.7% control with the government It would not solve the 46.7% 68.4% 25.8% 50.0% healthcare problems Source: BIGresearch, American Pulse - Sept 09



However, all parties tend to lean towards the healthcare reform being more socialist than capitalist. On a five point scale with 1 being "very capitalist" and 5 being "very socialist," Republicans average 3.8, Independents average 3.4 and Democrats average 3.1. All respondents average 3.4.

Other findings:



-- 75.5% say government doesn't have right to force someone to buy health insurance...12.9% say it does, 11.6% aren't sure. -- 66.7% say U.S. is losing status as an international power. Of those who think so, 34.3% list China as most likely to emerge as new superpower. -- 50.3% say they would vote to re-elect their Congressperson, 49.7% say they wouldn't. -- Kennedy most respected President among Democrats with an average of 4.4 (on a five point scale). George W. Bush is the least respected with an average of 1.8. Reagan most respected among Republicans (4.5), whereas Obama ranks the least (2.1). -- 58.2% say senior citizens are valued less now than in the past, 24% say they are valued the same, 17.8% say more. -- 48.4% think "rude is the new norm" (in light of recent celebrity outbursts), 35.1% say no, 16.5% don't know.

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