7 Out of 10 Americans Agree That Economy is Rigged Against Them
Recent poll finds 71 percent of Americans believe U.S. economy is rigged
A new Marketplace-Edison Research poll published Tuesday found that a full 71 percent of respondents agree that the economy is rigged, affirming the popular rhetoric of the current presidential campaign season.
The majority opinion held firm across ethnicity, class, age, and gender differences. A whopping 83 percent of African Americans polled agreed that the economy is rigged, and 80 percent of people ages 18-24 also held that opinion.
The poll, tracking rising economic anxiety, discovered that most Americans agree that the economy was better for their parent's generation and believe it will be worse for the next generation.
Perhaps the perception of a rigged economy is because people work harder for increasingly less financial security.
The poll found that nearly one-quarter of respondents had not taken a single vacation in over five years, and almost 50 percent also confirmed that they feared they might lose their jobs within the next 12 months.
Moreover, 71 percent said they were afraid of an unexpected medical bill, 53 percent feared being unable to make a mortgage payment, and 60 percent of renters feared being unable to pay rent.
Nearly one-third told the pollsters that they are losing sleep over their financial situation.
Meanwhile, the poll found that Wall Street and banks are unfavorable: nearly 60 percent agreed that Wall Street does more to hurt than help most Americans, and 56 percent agreed that the U.S. government should break up banks deemed "too big to fail."
A majority of 54 percent also felt that the decline in U.S. manufacturing jobs resulted from so-called "free trade" deals rather than "natural changes in the economy," as the poll put it.
The poll's questions were familiar to many of those following this year's presidential election, as presidential hopeful Bernie Sanders made the phrase "rigged economy" and his critique of trade deals into touchstones of his campaign:
Following the shocking success of Sanders' outsider campaign, current front-runners Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton have co-opted Sanders' language to woo his supporters.
"It's not just the political system that's rigged; it's the whole economy," Trump said during a speech last week, while Clinton on Monday told a crowd, "To build an economy that works for everyone, not just those at the top, we have got to go big, and we have got to go bold," as Common Dreams reported.
Yet their efforts may fail: The Marketplace-Edison Research poll found that many respondents are also "not satisfied at all" with the two top presidential contenders.
Pundits have connected "a deep frustration on the part of working-class voters with economic globalization schemes," as John Nichols put it, to the recent Brexit vote. This has prompted some to wonder if a similar shock may eventually strike the U.S. establishment if today's economic woes go unheeded.
We are at a crossroads
This country and this world are at a monumental crossroads. US voters have an opportunity to beat back the forces of fascism and confront the billionaires who are rigging the economy, our media system, and our democracy, making it increasingly impossible for ordinary people to get by. We’re not just talking about the election. We’re talking about what must be done once these fascist elements are vanquished from power. We need a bolder set of solutions than what either major party has so far been willing to offer and a working-class movement ready to fight like hell for it. Trump didn't emerge from nowhere. The conditions that fueled MAGA authoritarianism were created by decades of radical neoliberal economic policies and a corrupt political system dominated by corporate interests. They slashed taxes on the super-rich, promising that the benefits would trickle down. They said giveaways to the corporate titans would make life more affordable for the rest of us. It was all bullshit. And when a bitter, betrayed populace searches for someone to blame, right-wing demagogues have little trouble finding scapegoats. People know when they're being lied to, but you won't hear any of this from the corporate media. Only independent journalism—powered and funded by people who believe in building a better world—can deliver truly trustworthy daily news. Our Fall Campaign is underway, and we need your help. To power our newsroom through the rest of the year, we need to raise $125,000 by midnight on October 31. So if you share our vision, please contribute whatever you can to sustain our work. |
A new Marketplace-Edison Research poll published Tuesday found that a full 71 percent of respondents agree that the economy is rigged, affirming the popular rhetoric of the current presidential campaign season.
The majority opinion held firm across ethnicity, class, age, and gender differences. A whopping 83 percent of African Americans polled agreed that the economy is rigged, and 80 percent of people ages 18-24 also held that opinion.
The poll, tracking rising economic anxiety, discovered that most Americans agree that the economy was better for their parent's generation and believe it will be worse for the next generation.
Perhaps the perception of a rigged economy is because people work harder for increasingly less financial security.
The poll found that nearly one-quarter of respondents had not taken a single vacation in over five years, and almost 50 percent also confirmed that they feared they might lose their jobs within the next 12 months.
Moreover, 71 percent said they were afraid of an unexpected medical bill, 53 percent feared being unable to make a mortgage payment, and 60 percent of renters feared being unable to pay rent.
Nearly one-third told the pollsters that they are losing sleep over their financial situation.
Meanwhile, the poll found that Wall Street and banks are unfavorable: nearly 60 percent agreed that Wall Street does more to hurt than help most Americans, and 56 percent agreed that the U.S. government should break up banks deemed "too big to fail."
A majority of 54 percent also felt that the decline in U.S. manufacturing jobs resulted from so-called "free trade" deals rather than "natural changes in the economy," as the poll put it.
The poll's questions were familiar to many of those following this year's presidential election, as presidential hopeful Bernie Sanders made the phrase "rigged economy" and his critique of trade deals into touchstones of his campaign:
Following the shocking success of Sanders' outsider campaign, current front-runners Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton have co-opted Sanders' language to woo his supporters.
"It's not just the political system that's rigged; it's the whole economy," Trump said during a speech last week, while Clinton on Monday told a crowd, "To build an economy that works for everyone, not just those at the top, we have got to go big, and we have got to go bold," as Common Dreams reported.
Yet their efforts may fail: The Marketplace-Edison Research poll found that many respondents are also "not satisfied at all" with the two top presidential contenders.
Pundits have connected "a deep frustration on the part of working-class voters with economic globalization schemes," as John Nichols put it, to the recent Brexit vote. This has prompted some to wonder if a similar shock may eventually strike the U.S. establishment if today's economic woes go unheeded.
A new Marketplace-Edison Research poll published Tuesday found that a full 71 percent of respondents agree that the economy is rigged, affirming the popular rhetoric of the current presidential campaign season.
The majority opinion held firm across ethnicity, class, age, and gender differences. A whopping 83 percent of African Americans polled agreed that the economy is rigged, and 80 percent of people ages 18-24 also held that opinion.
The poll, tracking rising economic anxiety, discovered that most Americans agree that the economy was better for their parent's generation and believe it will be worse for the next generation.
Perhaps the perception of a rigged economy is because people work harder for increasingly less financial security.
The poll found that nearly one-quarter of respondents had not taken a single vacation in over five years, and almost 50 percent also confirmed that they feared they might lose their jobs within the next 12 months.
Moreover, 71 percent said they were afraid of an unexpected medical bill, 53 percent feared being unable to make a mortgage payment, and 60 percent of renters feared being unable to pay rent.
Nearly one-third told the pollsters that they are losing sleep over their financial situation.
Meanwhile, the poll found that Wall Street and banks are unfavorable: nearly 60 percent agreed that Wall Street does more to hurt than help most Americans, and 56 percent agreed that the U.S. government should break up banks deemed "too big to fail."
A majority of 54 percent also felt that the decline in U.S. manufacturing jobs resulted from so-called "free trade" deals rather than "natural changes in the economy," as the poll put it.
The poll's questions were familiar to many of those following this year's presidential election, as presidential hopeful Bernie Sanders made the phrase "rigged economy" and his critique of trade deals into touchstones of his campaign:
Following the shocking success of Sanders' outsider campaign, current front-runners Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton have co-opted Sanders' language to woo his supporters.
"It's not just the political system that's rigged; it's the whole economy," Trump said during a speech last week, while Clinton on Monday told a crowd, "To build an economy that works for everyone, not just those at the top, we have got to go big, and we have got to go bold," as Common Dreams reported.
Yet their efforts may fail: The Marketplace-Edison Research poll found that many respondents are also "not satisfied at all" with the two top presidential contenders.
Pundits have connected "a deep frustration on the part of working-class voters with economic globalization schemes," as John Nichols put it, to the recent Brexit vote. This has prompted some to wonder if a similar shock may eventually strike the U.S. establishment if today's economic woes go unheeded.