Background Memo  

The most recent poll by Fairleigh Dickinson University's PublicMind was commissioned by the Silberman College of Business and conducted by telephone from June 17 through June 29 using a randomly selected sample of 1001 adults statewide (aged 18 and over) who participate in their household’s financial decisions. The sampling error for 1001 randomly selected respondents is +/- 3 percentage points at the 95 percent level of confidence.  Sub-groups have a larger margin: 722 respondents received economic stimulus checks and 639 employed respondents answered a question about job security. Survey results are also subject to non-sampling error. This kind of error, which cannot be measured, arises from a number of factors including, but not limited to, non-response (eligible individuals refusing to be interviewed), question wording, the order in which questions are asked, and variations among interviewers. Interviews were conducted by professionally trained interviewers using a CATI (Computer Assisted Telephone Interviewing) system.  Random selection is achieved through computerized random-digit dialing. This technique gives every person with a land line (including those with unlisted numbers) an equal chance of being selected. Results are also mathematically weighted to match known demographics.

Would you say you and your family living there are better off or worse off financially than you were a year ago?

Now looking ahead—do you think that a year from now you (and your family living there) will be better off financially or worse off?

Question: Recently the federal government mailed tax rebates, called economic stimulus payments, to most citizens who file tax returns.  We’re you personally eligible for this payment?

Question: [If eligible, ask] Did your household get more or less than a thousand dollars?

Question: And what have you done, or what will you do, with the money…?

Question:  If you were suddenly to get an extra $1000, do you think you would

Question: [If employed, ask…] How worried are you that you might lose your job in the next 12 months…?

see also:
Survey Analysis
Tabular Results