Reports on Money

Reports are listed in reverse chronological order.

Inside the Middle Class: Bad Times Hit the Good Life
9 Apr 08 Americans feel stuck in their tracks. Most survey respondents say that in the past five years, they either haven’t moved forward in life (25%) or have fallen backward (31%) -- the most downbeat assessment in nearly half a century of polling by the Pew Research Center and the Gallup organization. But at the same time, two-thirds say they have a higher standard of living than their parents had.

What Americans Pay For - and How: 'Information Age' Bills Keep Piling Up
7 Feb 07 Bill-paying is a different experience now than it was a generation ago. A sizable minority of adults pay by click. And a sizable majority pay each month for one or more of the big three Information Age staples that didn't exist or were in their infancy a few decades back -- cell phones, internet service and cable and satellite television.

We Try Hard. We Fall Short. Americans Assess Their Saving Habits
24 Jan 07 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, according to a new Pew survey.

Most Americans Moderately Upbeat About Family Finances in 2007
4 Jan 07 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, according to a new Pew Research Center survey.

Luxury or Necessity?: Things We Can’t Live Without: The List Has Grown in the Past Decade
14 Dec 06 As Americans navigate increasingly crowded lives, the number of things they say they can't live without has multiplied in the past decade, according to a new Pew Research Center survey that asks whether a broad array of everyday consumer products are luxuries or necessities.

As Home Prices Cool Down, Homeowners Temper Their Optimism
6 Dec 06 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. However, these anticipated levels of future gains are not nearly as great as the gains that homeowners say they've experienced in recent years.

It's Time for Holiday Shopping. Do You Have Your Budget?
20 Nov 06 A majority of Americans say they set a budget limit for their holiday shopping; 56% have already set or plan to set a limit while 41% say they don’t use a budget limit for holiday shopping.

Working After Retirement: The Gap Between Expectations and Reality
21 Sep 06 A new Pew Social Trends survey finds a yawning gap between the expectations of today's workers, more than three-quarters of whom believe they will work for pay even after they retire, and current retirees, just 12% of whom are actually working for pay right now.

Americans See Less Progress on Their Ladder of Life
14 Sep 06 As economists and politicians debate whether there is less mobility in the U.S. now than in the past, a new Pew survey finds that many among the public are seeing less progress in their own lives.

As the Price of Gas Goes Up, The Nation's Odometer Slows Down: History Repeats Itself
8 Aug 06 About half the public says it is driving less due to sticker shock at the pump.