Home Sweet Home. Still.
The collapse of the U.S. housing market has not shaken the public’s confidence in the investment value of homeownership.
Economics and Personal Finances 
04.12.11
12.20.10
Baby Boomers Approach 65 – Glumly
As the leading edge of the giant Baby Boomer generation turns 65 on January 1, 2011, a Pew Research roundup of new and recent surveys finds that this age group is more downbeat than others about the trajectory of their lives and the direction of the nation as a whole. This report explores Boomers’ political and social values; their economic hopes and fears and their overall satisfaction with life.
11.23.10
The Rise of College Student Borrowing
Graduates who received a bachelor’s degree in 2008 borrowed 50% more than their counterparts who graduated in 1996, while graduates who earned an associate’s degree or undergraduate certificate in 2008 borrowed more than twice what their counterparts in 1996 had borrowed.
09.29.10
Using Census Data to Document Economic Distress
The Census Bureau just released its 2009 American Community Survey statistics, and included some additional analysis to address public interest in using the data to document the impact of the economic downturn.
09.24.10
One Recession, Two Americas
For a narrow majority of Americans (55%), the Great Recession brought a mix of hardships, usually in combination: a spell of unemployment, missed mortgage or rent payments, shrinking paychecks and shattered household budgets, but for the other 45% of the country, the recession was largely free of such difficulties.
09.15.10
A Third of Public Says It’s Sometimes OK for Homeowners to Stop Making Mortgage Payments
More than a third (36%) of Americans say the practice of “walking away” from a home mortgage is acceptable, at least under certain circumstances.
09.09.10
Since the Start of the Great Recession, More Children Raised by Grandparents
One child in 10 in the United States lives with a grandparent, a share that increased slowly and steadily over the past decade before rising sharply from 2007 to 2008, the first year of the Great Recession.
07.22.10
Lost Income, Lost Friends – and Loss of Self-respect
Long-term unemployment takes a much deeper toll than short-term unemployment on a person’s finances, emotional well-being and career prospects.
06.30.10
Interactive: How the Great Recession Has Changed Life in America
Interactive graphic that charts the impact of the “Great Recession” on Americans. Polling data with breakdowns by age, education, race, gender and political affiliation.
06.30.10
How the Great Recession Has Changed Life in America
Of the 13 recessions that the American public has endured since the Great Depression of 1929-33, none has presented a more punishing combination of length, breadth and depth than this one.
04.06.10
U.S. Birth Rate Decline Linked to Recession
There is a strong association between the magnitude of fertility change in 2008 across states and key economic indicators including changes in per capita income, housing prices and share of the working-age population that is employed across states.
01.19.10
Women, Men and Marriage
Our new report uses four decades of U.S. Census data to delve into historic gender role reversals in the spousal characteristics and economic benefits of marriage.
01.19.10
Women, Men and the New Economics of Marriage
In the past, when relatively few wives worked, marriage enhanced the economic status of women more than that of men. Recently, however, the economic gains associated with marriage have been greater for men.
05.28.09
Most Middle-Aged Adults Are Rethinking Retirement Plans
In the midst of a recession that has taken a heavy toll on many nest eggs, just over half of all working adults ages 50 to 64 say they may delay their retirement — and another 16% say they never expect to stop working.
05.14.09
Different Age Groups, Different Recessions
Older adults are less likely than younger and middle-aged adults to say that in the past year they have cut back on spending; suffered losses in their retirement accounts; or experienced trouble paying for housing or medical care.
04.23.09
Luxury or Necessity? The Public Makes a U-Turn
From the kitchen to the laundry room to the home entertainment center, Americans are paring down the list of familiar household appliances they say they can’t live without.
03.26.09
Before the Great Recession, a Phantom Recovery
The eight-year period from 1999 through 2007 is the longest in modern U.S. economic history in which inflation-adjusted median household income failed to surpass an earlier peak.
03.26.09
Testimony of Paul Taylor, Executive Vice President, Pew Research Center to the Senate Finance Committee
Comments on a report that combines findings of one of our major national public opinion surveys with the Center’s analysis of four decades of demographic and economic trends from the Census Bureau and other sources.
02.19.09
Even as Housing Values Sink, There’s Comfort in Homeownership
Not even a housing-led recession can shake Americans’ faith in the blessings of homeownership.
07.29.08
America’s Four Middle Classes
There isn’t one American middle class; there are four. Each is different from the others in its attitudes, outlook and financial circumstance—sometimes in ways that defy traditional stereotypes of the middle class.
06.25.08
Baby Boomers: The Gloomiest Generation
America’s baby boomers are in a collective funk. Members of the large generation born from 1946 to 1964 are more downbeat about their lives than are adults who are younger or older.
05.29.08
The Middle Class Blues
When it comes to anxiety about family finances, an old truism applies: Where you stand depends on where you sit. Or, more precisely, on where your house or apartment sits.
05.14.08
Feeling Guilty
Most Americans say they’re not saving as much as they should — but they’re apparently not worried enough to do much about it.
04.30.08
Who Wants To Be Rich?
Only 13% of adults say it’s “very important” for them to be wealthy, ranking this personal priority far behind six others measured in a new survey .
04.09.08
Inside the Middle Class: Bad Times Hit the Good Life
Americans feel stuck in their tracks. A majority of survey respondents say that in the past five years, they either haven’t moved forward in life or have fallen backward.
02.07.07
What Americans Pay For – and How
Nearly three-in-ten adults say the most common way they take care of their regular monthly bills is by an online or electronic payment.
01.24.07
We Try Hard. We Fall Short. Americans Assess Their Saving Habits
Despite a negative national savings rate, three-in-four Americans still think of themselves as savers. But a majority also acknowledge they don’t save enough.
01.04.07
Most Americans Moderately Upbeat About Family Finances in 2007
Most Americans are moderately upbeat about their family’s financial prospects in the coming year, with 57% expecting some improvement in their financial situation and another 10% expecting a lot of improvement.
12.14.06
Things We Can’t Live Without: The List Has Grown in the Past Decade
As Americans navigate increasingly crowded lives, the number of things they say they can’t live without has multiplied in the past decade.
12.06.06
As Home Prices Cool Down, Homeowners Temper Their Optimism
Despite a record drop this past year in the median sales price of existing homes, more than eight-in-ten homeowners expect the value of their homes to go up either “a little” (55%) or “a lot” (26%) in the future.
