CBS NEWS POLL For release: Tuesday, February 12, 2013 6:30 pm ET The Economy: A Bleak Jobs Assessment

February 6-10, 2012

The economy and jobs continues to be the top concern for Americans, as it has been for the past five years. While most still say the economy is in bad shape, positive evaluations of the economy have risen since last year. Yet, most say jobs are difficult to find in their community and 45% dont think the jobs lost in their area will ever come back. 41% believe they will.

Immigration and gun policy may be dominating much of the political discussion these days, but 40% of Americans volunteer the economy and jobs as the most important problem facing the country, far ahead of any other issue. The economy has topped the list since January 2008. Most Important Problem Facing the Country Economy and Jobs 40% Budget deficit/debt 11 Guns 4 Immigration 3 Health care 3 Job Opportunities The nations unemployment rate has been below 8% for five consecutive months, but a majority of Americans (72%) say jobs remain difficult to find in their community, and nearly two-thirds of Americans either working or looking for work say job opportunities in their specific line of work are hard to find. Majorities of both college graduates (67%) and those without a degree (74%) say jobs are not easy to find where they live. Job Opportunities Available Jobs in Your Community Jobs in Your Line of Work* 22% 33% 72 64

Plenty available Difficult to find

*among Americans working or looking for work

Looking ahead, views are mixed on whether jobs lost during the recession will return when the economy improves. 45% of Americans dont expect those jobs to come back, but 41% think they will. Americans are less optimistic today about jobs returning to their community then they were in December 2009. Will The Lost Jobs In Your Community Come Back? Now 10/2011 12/2009 Yes 41% 44% 52% No 45 41 35

Those living in the Midwest (home to much of the nations manufacturing base) are the most pessimistic about the job outlook in their area. Will The Lost Jobs In Your Community Come Back? By Region Total Northeast Midwest South West Yes 41% 43% 33% 44% 42% No 45 44 54 42 44 Americans continue to be at least somewhat concerned about a potential job loss in their own household, including 34% who are very concerned. Still, Americans are less concerned now then they were in 2009. Now 34% 24 41 Concerned About Job Loss in Household? 1/2013 2/2012 2/2011 27% 38% 33% 33 27 26 40 35 40 2/2010 31% 26 41 2/2009 44% 28 27

Very Somewhat Not at all

Personal Finances As for their own financial situation, most Americans say they can make ends meet. However, just a quarter says their income is enough to save money and buy some extras. As might be expected, Americans with lower household incomes are especially likely to be feeling the pain of the sluggish economy. 41% of those with incomes below $50,000 say they dont earn enough to cover their expenses, but that number drops significantly among those with higher incomes. Is Your Household Income? Total <$50K $50K-$100K $100K+ Enough to save and buy extras 25% 11% 29% 63% Just enough to pay bills 47 47 53 30 Not enough to pay bills 27 41 18 7 Evaluations of the Economy Overall perceptions of the nations economy remain negative, but they have improved. 32% now say the nations economy is good, up from 23% a year ago and significantly higher than it was in February 2009. Back then, a mere 5% rated the economy as good the lowest percentage ever recorded in a CBS News Poll. Now 32% 67 Condition of the Economy 1/2013 2/2012 2/2011 32% 23% 24% 66 75 75 2/2010 17% 83 2/2009 5% 94

Good Bad

About a third of Americans think the economy is getting better. Fewer say it is getting worse. Now 32% 28 39 Direction of the Economy 1/2013 2/2012 2/2011 33% 34% 32% 30 22 22 36 43 45 2/2010 24% 29 45 2/2009 5% 51 42

Better Worse Same

_______________________________________________________________________ This poll was conducted by telephone from February 6-10, 2013 among 1,148 adults nationwide. Phone numbers were dialed from samples of both standard land-line and cell phones. The error due to sampling for results based on the entire sample could be plus or minus three percentage points. The error for subgroups may be higher. This poll release conforms to the Standards of Disclosure of the National Council on Public Polls.

CBS NEWS POLL The Economy: A Bleak Jobs Assessment February 6-10, 2013 q3 What do you think is the most important problem facing this country today? ** TOTAL RESPONDENTS ** *** Party ID *** Total Rep Dem Ind % % % % Economy / jobs 40 44 42 35 Budget Deficit/National Debt 11 17 5 12 Guns 4 2 6 5 Immigration 3 3 5 1 Health Care 3 2 4 2 Abortion 2 1 1 3 Education 2 1 1 3 Partisan Politics 2 0 4 1 President/Barack Obama 2 3 0 2 Crime 2 0 2 2 Other 25 25 27 28 DK/NA 4 2 3 6 q15 How would you rate the condition of the national economy these days? good, fairly good, fairly bad, or very bad? Very good Fairly good Fairly bad Very bad DK/NA 1 31 38 29 1 1 11 39 49 0 2 51 32 14 1 1 25 43 29 2

Dec12a % 39 12 2 1 3 0 3 4 3 1 28 4 Is it very Jan13a 2 30 43 23 1

q16 Do you think the economy is getting better, getting worse, or staying about the same? Better Worse Same DK/NA 32 28 39 1 13 47 40 0 53 14 33 0 27 29 43 1 33 30 36 1

q17 Just from what you've seen or heard, do you think the jobs that your community has lost in the recession will probably come back when the economy improves, or do you think they were jobs that will probably never come back? Jobs will come back Jobs will never come Some will, some wont (vol.) DK/NA 41 45 8 6 31 52 9 8 51 37 7 4 38 48 8 6 Oct11a1 44 41 10 5

q67 Think about your household income, would you say that it is more than enough so that you can save money or buy some extras, just enough to meet your bills and obligations, or is it not enough to meet your bills and obligations? ** TOTAL RESPONDENTS ** *** Party ID *** Total Rep Dem Ind % % % % 25 33 22 22 47 45 46 49 27 21 30 27 2 1 1 2

Can save and buy extras Just enough to pay bills Not enough to pay bills,etc Don't know/No answer

Dec11b % 28 51 20 1

q68 How concerned are you that in the next 12 months you or someone else in your household might be out of work and looking for a job -- very concerned, somewhat concerned, or not concerned at all? Very concerned Somewhat concerned Not at all concerned DK/NA 34 24 41 1 33 25 41 0 34 21 44 1 35 26 38 1 Jan13a 27 33 40 1

q72 Thinking now about job opportunities where you live, would you say there are plenty of jobs available in your community or are jobs difficult to find? Plenty of jobs available 22 Jobs are difficult to find 72 Loss of jobs/few others (vol.) 2 DK/NA 5 25 69 2 4 21 73 1 5 21 72 2 5

q73 And what about the job opportunities available to you? Do you think there are plenty of jobs in your line of work available in your community, or are jobs in your line of work difficult to find? Plenty of jobs available 33 Jobs are difficult to find 64 Loss of jobs/few others (vol.) 1 DK/NA 2 34 62 2 2 38 59 0 2 30 68 1 1

Total Respondents Total Republicans Total Democrats Total Independents

Unweighted 1148 305 414 429

Weighted 288 400 460 (25%) (35%) (40%)