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Attitudes about the Struggling Local Economy Differ by Geography

Fr: Susan Buckles, APR
      Northwest Area Foundation
      60 Plato Boulevard East
      St. Paul, MN 55107
      651-225-3865
      sbuckles@nwaf.org

For Immediate Release

ST. PAUL, Minn. September 24, 2008 - People who live in the Midwest and the Northeast are more likely to be pessimistic about their local economy than are people in other regions of the country, according to a national poll on perceptions of people who are struggling to make ends meet commissioned by the Northwest Area Foundation. People who live in the West are the most optimistic when rating their local economy.

• Sixty-four percent of people who live in the Midwest* rate their local economy as either fair or poor.

• Sixty-three percent of people who live in the Northeast* rate their local economy as either fair or poor.

That compares to:

• Fifty-five percent in the South*

• Forty-six percent in the West*

Nationally, seven out of 10 respondents also said a family of four needs at least $40,000 a year to make ends meet, a figure nearly twice the federal poverty threshold. To see the full report, visit http://programs.nwaf.org/pr/nwaf/info/08%20Poll%20Index.asp

The Northwest Area Foundation is dedicated to supporting efforts by the people, organizations and communities in Minnesota, Iowa, North Dakota, South Dakota, Montana, Idaho, Oregon and Washington to reduce poverty and achieve sustainable prosperity. These states were served by the Great Northern Railway, founded by James J. Hill. In 1934, Hill’s son, Louis W. Hill, established the foundation. To learn more, visit www.nwaf.org.

*Midwest consists of Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota and Wisconsin

*Northeast consists of Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island and Vermont

*South consists of Alabama, Arkansas, Delaware, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia and West Virginia

*West consists of Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Washington and Wyoming

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The Northwest Area Foundation (NWAF) commissioned Lake Research Partners (LRP) to conduct a national tracking survey to among 4,000 Americans age 18 and older, from February 8-29, 2008. Four thousand total interviews were conducted: 800 nationally, and oversamples of 400 were conducted in each of the following eight states: Minnesota, Iowa, North Dakota, South Dakota, Montana, Idaho, Oregon and Washington. The oversamples were weighted down to reflect their true proportion in the country. The margin of error is +/-3.5 percentage points for national and +/-5.0 points for state results. This is the third survey of its kind, replicating studies NWAF and LRP released in March 2006 and April 2007.