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 Sept. 29, 2008 through Oct. 6, 2008 using a randomly selected sample of 1002 adults statewide (aged 18 and over) who participate in their household’s financial decisions. The sampling error for 1002 randomly selected respondents is +/- 3 percentage points at the 95 percent level of confidence.  Sub-groups have a larger margin: for example, 633 respondents reported being employed and 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:  And what about housing prices… During the next 12 months, do you think that housing prices in your area will go up or go down?

Question:  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

Question: At this point, has the financial crisis on Wall Street directly affected your finances or not?

Question: How closely are you following the government's plans to deal with the financial crisis...READ?

• Very
• Somewhat
• Just a little
• Not at all

Question: How well would you say you personally understand the causes of the recent financial crisis...READ?

• Very well
• Somewhat well
• Just a little well
• Not at all

Question: Given what you have heard or read at this point, do you support or oppose the government’s plan to deal with the financial crisis?

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