Younger Women More Pessimistic about the Local  Economy 

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 - Women under the age of 45 are more likely to say their local economy is only fair or poor than are men under 45, according to a national poll on perceptions of people who are struggling to make ends meet commissioned by the Northwest Area Foundation.  The national poll explored people’s attitudes and concerns about their local economies, who is struggling financially and the role of locally elected officials.

Poll results show:

• Sixty-three percent of women under 45 rate their local economy as fair or poor
• Forty-eight percent of men under 45 rate their local economy as fair or poor

• Sixty-one percent of women over 45 rate their local economy as fair or poor
• Fifty-four percent of men over 45 rate their local economy as fair or poor

Nationally, more than a third of the respondents, 36 percent, said they worried all or most of the time that their pay wouldn’t be enough to meet their bills.  An overwhelming number, 70 percent, also said a family of four needs $40,000 a year to make ends meet, a figure nearly twice the federal poverty threshold.  For 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.
 
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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.