What's worrying Americans these days? Same old, same old: cost of health care and generally lower wages than most folks had expected as the recovery continues.
These concerns are borne out by a Gallup survey that asked U.S. adults to take a look at a list of worries and rank their concerns.
The good news: Gallup's proprietary Economic Confidence Index inched into positive territory for the first time since those dark recessionary days. The bad news: The recession's hangover is still suppressing wages for many folks and, despite health care reform, medical costs remain a burden for many.
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Said Gallup of the results:
"Certain financial problems have receded from the nation's memory, while others have persisted in the forefront. Americans have consistently cited health care, a topic of fierce debate this decade, as one of the most important financial problems, and it remains so."
Here's how those polled ranked their top five concerns from among those listed:
- No. 1 concern: Health care costs and lack of money: tied at 14 percent
- No. 2 concern: Too much debt/can't pay it: 9 percent
- No. 3 concern: College costs: 8 percent
- No. 4 concern: Retirement savings/cost of housing/inflation: Tied at 6 percent
- No. 5 concern: Job fears: 5 percent
Gallup added: "Lack of money and low wages are still an important problem for many Americans, yet unemployment and the high cost of living are mentioned less often than in recent years, as are energy prices. … Issues that have remained low-level concerns all decade — including Social Security, the stock market, controlling spending and transportation costs — remain low again this year."
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Dan Cook
Dan Cook is a journalist and communications consultant based in Portland, OR. During his journalism career he has been a reporter and editor for a variety of media companies, including American Lawyer Media, BusinessWeek, Newhouse Newspapers, Knight-Ridder, Time Inc., and Reuters. He specializes in health care and insurance related coverage for BenefitsPRO.
