The Atlantic Monthly
Januray - February, 2004. Pages 110-112.
That is although one could in theory deduce America's exact sense of its economic
well-being at any given moment by extrapolating from each citizens income and
expenses, a kind of aggregate national answer to the question..., that would
provide only an indirect and backward-looking measure of the economy’s
real strength.
Page 110
The true condition of the economy is best seen not as a snapshot of individual’s
circumstances but as the movement of deeper forces through time; economists
look back for measures of what has already happened and then use various logical
assumptions to project what will happen in the future.”
Page 111
“In fact, there is a wide gap between how most people feel the economy
in general is faring (poorly) and how they feel they themselves are doing (quite
well)."
page 112
A poll conducted by the Gallup Organization in August
| per cent | question or response to: | evidence |
|
75
|
rated the financial well-being of average citizens | as fair or poor |
|
89
|
employment situation rated | as poor or only fair |
|
50
|
employment situation rated | as poor |
|
19
|
of those then working were fearful of being out of a job | laid off |
|
100
|
Another recent poll, by the Pew Research Center
| per cent | question or response to: | response |
|
35
|
“I am pretty well satisfied with the way things are going for me financially” | disagreed with |
| meaning | The percentage since 1987 has only been lower three times in twelve. |
Page 112
World
view. or weltanschauung:
The problem of worldviews is an analytical construct that deals with a difference between the real and the perceived to be, by encompassing both shared beliefs and observations from experience.
