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This poll, fielded April 21-24, 2009, is part of a continuing series of monthly surveys that solicit public opinion on the presidency and on a range of other political and social issues. Respondents were asked to give their opinions of President Barack Obama and his handling of the presidency, foreign policy, and the economy as well as opinions on Vice President Joe Biden. Respondents were asked whether the Obama administration, the Republicans or the Democrats in Congress could be trusted to do a better job coping with the economic problems the nation faced, whether things in the country were going in the right direction, and the capacity of President Obama to understand the problems and needs of the American citizen. Respondents were also asked their opinions of the effectiveness of the economic stimulus and federal controls to prevent waste and fraud in the economic recovery, as well as the appropriateness for United States automakers to declare bankruptcy and their role in the national economy. Non-economic questions concerned the role of the United States in Afghanistan, confidence in the Obama administration in the handling of Afghanistan and the campaign against terrorism, whether the United States should establish diplomatic/trade relations with Cuba, whether the Obama administration should investigate the legality of the use of torture during the previous Bush (George, W.) administration, concerns over greenhouse gases, gun control and its relationship to the level of violent crime in the United States and the legality of same-sex marriage. Additional questions asked respondents for their opinions on the effectiveness of immigration control and proposed amnesty plans for illegal immigrants, and legalizing possession of marijuana for personal use. Personal financial and economic topics addressed how concerned respondents were that they could maintain their current standard of living. Demographic variables include sex, age, race, political philosophy, type of residential area (e.g., urban or rural), education level, religious preference, employment status, household income, and whether respondents considered themselves to be a born-again Christian.

This poll, fielded February 19-22, 2009, is a part of a continuing series of monthly surveys that solicits public opinion on the presidency and on a range of other political and social issues. Opinions were sought on how well Barack Obama was handling the presidency, the economy, and appointments to his cabinet, and whether things in the country were generally going in the right direction. Respondents were asked whether they approved of the way Republicans and Democrats in Congress were doing their jobs, whether they trusted the Democrats in Congress, the Republicans in Congress or President Obama to do a better job in handling the economy and coping with the main problems the nation faced. Several questions addressed the stimulus plan asking respondents whether they supported the plan, whether the plan would help the local economy in their area or their personal financial situation, whether it would be enough to improve the economy, and whether the stimulus package went far enough in terms of tax cuts and aides to states and individuals. Information was collected on whether respondents were confident that the federal government would implement adequate controls to avoid fraud with the use of federal money used for the nation's economic recovery, how concerned they were about the size of the federal deficit, whether stricter regulations should be placed on the way financial institutions conduct business, whether the government should provide refinancing assistance to homeowners, and whether additional government loans should be given to United States automakers. Respondents were asked questions about the effect the economy had in their lives. They were asked how financially secure they felt, whether the recession hurt them financially, how optimistic they felt about the state of the economy and their family's financial situation, whether they had cut back on their spending, and whether the economic situation was a cause of stress in their lives. Respondents were also asked how long they thought the recession would last, how confident they were they would retire with enough income to sustain them for the rest of their lives, how concerned they were about having enough money to pay their rent or mortgage, and whether they or anyone they knew had experienced or was concerned about job loss or pay cuts. Other topics focused on the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and Washington DC's delegate in Congress being a nonvoting member of the United States House of Representatives. Demographic variables include sex, age, race, education level, marital status, political party affiliation, political philosophy, household income, religious preference, home ownership, and whether respondents considered themselves to be a born-again Christian.

This poll, fielded December 11-14, 2008, is part of a continuing series of monthly surveys that solicit public opinion on the presidency and on a range of other political and social issues. A national sample of 1,003 adults was surveyed. Respondents were asked whether they thought the country was headed in the right direction, whether they approved of the way George W. Bush was handling the presidency and the economy, and whether they approved of the federal government's overall response to the economic situation. Respondents were asked whether they approved of the way Barack Obama was handling the upcoming presidential transition and what they thought was the most important issue they would like to see recently elected President Obama and the Congress deal with. Respondents were also asked several questions about the economy, the federal budget deficit, and the federal government's plan to stimulate the economy. Views were sought on the United States economic system, whether respondents thought the United States was in a long-term economic decline or whether they thought the economy was pretty solid. Respondents were also asked which party they trusted more to do a better job in coping with the main problems the nation faces over the next few years, and whether they thought the current financial situation was a crisis or not. Several questions asked respondents about the federal government's plan to bailout the Big Three United States automakers, whether they supported this plan, and whether they thought the automakers' problems were mainly the fault of the bad economy or the fault of their own mismanagement. Respondents were queried on how concerned they were about being able to maintain their current standard of living, how much they would spend on Christmas presents this year compared to last year, and how confident they were that they will be able to retire with enough income to last the rest of their life. Respondents were also asked several questions about their employment, whether they have been laid off or fired, whether they have had pay cuts or hours cut, and how likely they thought they would be laid off or fired in the next 12 months. Other questions focused on whether respondents thought the war in Iraq and in Afghanistan were worth fighting, whether significant progress was being made toward restoring civil order, and whether they thought the United States must win the war in Iraq and in Afghanistan for the war on terrorism to be a success. Finally, respondents were asked whether they voted in the presidential election and who they voted for. Demographic variables include sex, age, race, income, political ideology, political party affiliation, education level, and labor union membership.

This poll, fielded April 1-5, 2009, is a part of a continuing series of monthly surveys that solicit public opinion on the presidency and on a range of other political and social issues. Respondents were asked whether they approved of the way Barack Obama was handling the presidency and issues such as the economy and foreign policy. A series of questions addressed the Obama Administration's approach to solving economic problems and whether the administration's policies favored the rich, the middle class, or the poor. Respondents gave their opinions of First Lady Michelle Obama, the United States Congress, the Republican and Democratic parties, and whether President Obama or the Republicans in Congress were more likely to make the right decisions about the national economy and national security. Views were sought on President Obama's proposed budget plan, including changes in federal income taxes and government spending, and proposals to give financial assistance to the banking and automotive industries. A series of questions addressed the condition of the national economy, the most important economic problem facing the nation, the financial situation of the respondent's household, and how the recession was affecting their life. Respondents compared their current standard of living with that of their parents at the same age and gave their expectations about the standard of living of their children. Other questions asked respondents what the phrase "American dream" meant to them and whether they had achieved the "American dream" or expected to in their lifetime. Additional topics addressed the bonuses given to AIG insurance company executives, the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, international trade, health insurance coverage, and government spending on cancer research. Demographic variables include sex, age, race, education level, marital status, household income, employment status, perceived social class, political party affiliation, political philosophy, voter registration status and participation history, religious preference, whether respondents had children under the age of 18 years, and whether respondents considered themselves to be a born-again Christian.

This poll, fielded February 18-22, 2009, is part of a continuing series of monthly surveys that solicit public opinion on the presidency and on a range of other political and social issues. Respondents were asked whether they approved of the way Barack Obama was handling the presidency and issues such as the economy, the war in Iraq, and foreign policy. Respondents gave their opinions of First Lady Michelle Obama, the United States Congress, the Republican and Democratic parties, and how they will work together. Views were sought on the condition of the national economy, the government bailout of the automotive and financial industries, and whether the federal government should provide financial help to homeowners having trouble paying their mortgages. Additional topics addressed the stimulus package, the national debt, baseball players and steroid use by the players, household finances, job security, the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, whether Iran was a threat to the United States, whether the Bush Administration should be investigated for the treatment of detainees, the use of wiretaps, the likelihood that respondents would watch President Obama's address to Congress on February 24th, 2009. Demographic variables include sex, age, race, marital status, education level, household income, home ownership, employment status, perceived social class, political party affiliation, political philosophy, voter registration status and participation history, religious preference, and whether respondents considered themselves to be a born-again Christian.

This special topic poll is part of a continuing series of monthly surveys that solicits public opinion on the presidency and on a range of other political and social issues. In this poll, fielded January 11-15, 2009, respondents were asked whether they approved of the way George W. Bush handled his job as president, the situation with Iraq, the campaign against terrorism, and the economy during his eight years in office. Respondents were asked their opinions about Barack Obama, their predictions about what kind of president he was going to be, how confident respondents were in his abilities to make the right decisions about the economy and things relating to the war in Iraq, and whether respondents thought Obama was going to create new jobs, cut taxes, and improve the economy during his term as president. Several questions addressed Obama's Cabinet selections and whether his administration would make progress in providing affordable health care, ending the war in Iraq, and fixing the nation's economy. Respondents were also asked their opinions of Joe Biden, Michelle Obama, and Dick Cheney. Information about respondents' personal financial situation was also collected including the biggest financial concern facing them, how respondents rated their own financial state, how concerned they were about paying their housing costs, how much the decline in home values had affected them, whether their household income was enough to meet their bills and obligations, whether they felt secure about their household's financial future, whether they would be able to make payments on a large purchase, whether they have had to postpone making a major purchase due to the economy, and whether any long term plans have changed for them and their families as a result of the economy. Respondents were also polled on whether the country was going in the right direction, whether the condition of the economy was good, what they thought was the most important problem facing the country, and how they viewed the country compared to five years previously and five years into the future. Additional topics addressed stock market investments, job security, whether homosexuals should serve in the military, the economics stimulus package, the United States military prison in Guantanamo Bay, whether the United States should increase the number of troops in Iraq and Afghanistan, the legalization of marijuana, whether American or foreign automakers produced better quality vehicles, whether the federal government should provide national health insurance, whether there were more advantages to being a man or a woman in society, and whether respondents approved of premarital sex and homosexual relations. Demographic variables include sex, age, race, education level, marital status, household income, political party affiliation, political philosophy, voter registration status and participation history, employment status, perceived social class, whether there were children under the age of 18 living with the respondent, whether respondents owned their home, religious preference, and whether respondents considered themselves to be a born-again Christian.

The Survey of Consumer Attitudes and Behavior series was undertaken to measure changes in consumer attitudes and expectations, to understand why such changes occur, and to evaluate how they relate to consumer decisions to save, borrow, or make discretionary purchases. Since the 1940s, these surveys have been produced quarterly through 1977 and monthly thereafter. The surveys conducted in 2002 focused on topics such as evaluations and expectations about personal finances, employment, price changes, and the national business situation. Opinions were collected regarding respondents' appraisals of present market conditions for purchasing houses, automobiles, computers, and other durables. Also explored in this survey, were respondents' types of savings and financial investments, loan use, family income, and retirement planning. Other topics in this series typically examine respondents' ownership, lease, and use of automobiles, use of personal computers at home and in the office, and familiarity with and use of the Internet. Demographic information includes ethnic origin, sex, age, marital status, and education.

The United States Census Bureau has conducted surveys of manufacturing activity since 1810 with fluctuating frequency. Between 1919 and 1939 the Census of Manufactures (CM) was conducted biennially. This data collection consists of individual-plant data from the Census of Manufactures for 1929, 1931, 1933, and 1935, the only years in this span for which original returns are available. The records of the Motor Vehicle Industry have been coded to produce an electronic data set to provide the basis for microeconomic evidence for the study of the Great Depression. The data set contains observations on: basic information about the plants (e.g. name, location, owner, etc.), products made and materials used, operation and working hours, employment, wages and salaries, costs and amount of materials used, value and quantity of products by type, and power used.