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 March 24 through March 30 using a randomly selected sample of 800 adults statewide (aged 18 and over). The sampling error for 800 adults is +/- 3.5 percentage points at the 95 percent level of confidence.  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?

In the past year, did you increase the unpaid balance on your credit card?

In the next 12 months, do you expect to increase the unpaid balance on your credit card?

Now thinking about the outstanding balance on your credit cards-- how difficult is it to make payments on the balances? Would you say it is...

• Very Difficult
• Somewhat Difficult
• Not Very Difficult
• Not At All Difficult
• Don’t Use/Have

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

• Save it
• Spend it
• Use it to pay bills
• Give it to Charity
• Other

How worried are you that you might lose your job in the next 12 months…?

• Very worried
• Somewhat worried
• Not very worried
• Not at all worried

see also:
Survey Analysis
Tabular Results