On Jobs, California's Wealthy and Educated Are Most Worried

Maybe Dylan was right. If you ain't got nothing, you got nothing to lose.

There's an intriguing bit of data deep in the new Public Policy Institute of California poll (the same survey that's drawing headlines for noting how close the Republican primary for governor has become).

One question on the poll asked Californians if they expected bad economic times over the past 12 months.

The most negative outlook was among the people who, by most economic measures, would seem to have the least to worry about.Among respondents with household incomes of $80,000 annually or more, 74 percent saw hard times ahead. Of those with incomes of less than $40,000, only 55 percent believe there were bad times ahead. PPIC found that the older and more educated you are, the more likely you are to see bad times ahead.

The poll doesn't offer an explanation of this dynamic. Is it that older and better educated people know more, and can see signs of stress in the economy? Or are they more worried becasue they have more to lose?
 

Contact Us