Americans More Positive, Upbeat and Optimistic than Europeans

Americans More Positive, Upbeat and Optimistic than Europeans

ROCHESTER, N.Y., Jan. 7 /PRNewswire/ -- America is an unusually upbeat and optimistic country. A new Harris Poll finds that Americans are more likely than Europeans to say that their lives have improved over the last five years, and to expect that their lives will improve in the future. This is true whether they are thinking of their personal lives, their employment or financial situations, or their countries' economies.

These are the conclusions reached when the results of a survey of 2,092 American adults who were surveyed online by Harris Interactive(R) between December 8 and 15, 2004 are compared with the results of a Eurobarometer survey of the 25 countries of the European Union, which was conducted in February and March 2004.

These differences between the United States and Europe apply not only to Europe as a whole but to comparisons with all of the larger, and most of the smaller, European countries.

The differences between American and European perceptions and expectations for the next twelve months(1) include:

* In the U.S., a 47 percent plurality expected "life in general" would be
better (with 37% expecting no change). This compares with 31 percent of
Europeans expecting their lives would be better.

* When it comes to expectations for their economies, 29 percent of
Americans but only 17 percent of Europeans expected improvement, while
44 percent of Europeans, compared to 33 percent of Americans, expected
their economies would get worse.

* Only 21 percent of Europeans, compared to 38 percent of Americans,
expected the financial situation of their households would get better;
24 percent of Europeans expected their financial situation would get
worse, compared to only 15 percent of Americans.

* While Americans were split 29 to 31 percent between those who thought
the employment situation would get better or worse (with 29% saying it
would remain the same), almost a 3-to-1 plurality (48% to 15%) of
Europeans thought it would get worse.



Similar differences were found when the questions looked 5 years back or 5 years into the future:

* Americans were more likely than Europeans to believe that their present
situation had improved over the last 5 years (by 45% to 31%); they were
less likely to say that their situation had become worse or stayed the
same (53% compared to 67%).

* Americans were much more likely (by 55% to 38%) to believe that their
personal situation would improve over the next 5 years, and less likely
than Europeans to think it would get worse (11% compared to 17%).



All of these differences -- with Americans being more positive and optimistic -- were found not just with the averages for the 25 members of the European Union, but also with the five largest EU countries -- Germany, France, Spain, Italy and the United Kingdom.

In general, Germany was the most negative or pessimistic of these countries and Britain tended to be somewhat more optimistic. But British optimism was below American optimism on all measures.

What explains the differences between the U.S. and Europe?

Surveys are, of course, much better at measuring public opinion than at explaining it. However, two plausible hypotheses would explain the differences between American optimism and European pessimism.

One, obviously, is that the American economy has been growing faster than the European economy for most of the last 15 years or longer. Another is that Americans -- perhaps because of their history, their natural self-confidence, and their faster economic growth over more than 200 years -- are inherently more optimistic than Europeans. The first hypothesis suggests a short-term phenomenon, the latter suggests a fundamental difference between the old world and new. There is probably some validity in both of them.

TABLE 1

EXPECTATIONS FOR LIFE IN GENERAL

"What are your expectations for the next twelve months: will the next twelve

months be better, worse or the same, when it comes to ... your life in
general?"
Base: All Adults

European
U.S. Union(25 Germany Spain France Italy United
Countries) Kingdom
% % % % % % %
The same 37 49 54 51 48 46 46
Worse 8 17 27 8 13 11 9
Better 47 31 17 38 36 37 43
DK/NA 9 4 2 3 3 6 3
Note: Percentages may not add up exactly to 100% due to rounding.


TABLE 2
EXPECTATIONS FOR ECONOMIC SITUATION IN OWN COUNTRY


"What are your expectations for the next twelve months: will the next twelve

months be better, worse or the same, when it comes to ... the economic
situation in (own country)?"
Base: All Adults

European
U.S. Union(25 Germany Spain France Italy United
Countries) Kingdom
% % % % % % %
The same 26 32 27 45 33 29 40
Worse 33 44 57 21 43 52 34
Better 29 17 13 26 19 13 17
DK/NA 12 6 3 8 6 6 10
Note: Percentages may not add up exactly to 100% due to rounding.


TABLE 3
EXPECTATIONS FOR FINANCIAL SITUATION "IN YOUR HOUSEHOLD"


"What are your expectations for the next twelve months: will the next twelve

months be better, worse or the same, when it comes to ... the financial
situation of your household?"
Base: All Adults

European
U.S. Union(25 Germany Spain France Italy United
Countries) Kingdom
% % % % % % %
The same 37 52 52 61 49 58 49
Worse 15 24 35 9 20 17 16
Better 38 21 11 28 27 20 32
DK/NA 10 4 2 3 4 4 4
Note: Percentages may not add up exactly to 100% due to rounding.


TABLE 4
EXPECTATIONS FOR EMPLOYMENT SITUATION


"What are your expectations for the next twelve months: will the next twelve

months be better, worse or the same, when it comes to ... the employment
situation in (own country)?"
Base: All Adults

European
U.S. Union(25 Germany Spain France Italy United
Countries) Kingdom
% % % % % % %
The same 29 30 22 43 28 28 41
Worse 31 48 66 28 49 49 31
Better 29 15 8 22 18 14 18
DK/NA 11 7 4 8 6 9 11
Note: Percentages may not add up exactly to 100% due to rounding.


TABLE 5
PRESENT SITUATION COMPARED TO FIVE YEARS AGO


"If you compare your present situation with five years ago, would you say it

has improved, stayed about the same, or got worse?"
Base: All Adults

European
U.S. Union(25 Germany Spain France Italy United
Countries) Kingdom
% % % % % % %
Improved 45 31 18 38 30 34 46
Stayed
about
the same 24 35 38 50 34 33 32
Got worse 29 32 44 12 34 32 20
DK/NA 2 1 1 0 1 1 1
Note: Percentages may not add up exactly to 100% due to rounding.


TABLE 6
EXPECTATION FOR PERSONAL SITUATION IN 5 YEARS


"In the course of the next five years, do you expect your personal situation

to improve, to stay about the same or to get worse?"
Base: All Adults

European
U.S. Union(25 Germany Spain France Italy United
Countries) Kingdom
% % % % % % %
Improve 55 38 18 50 44 44 50
Stay
about
the same 27 37 43 40 37 32 35
Get worse 11 17 31 4 15 14 10
DK/NA 7 8 8 5 5 10 5
Note: Percentages may not add up exactly to 100% due to rounding.


Methodology


The Harris Poll(R) was conducted online within the United States between December 8 and 15, 2004 among a nationwide cross section of 2,092 adults (aged 18 and over). Figures for age, sex, race, education, region and household income were weighted where necessary to bring them into line with their actual proportions in the population. Propensity score weighting was also used to adjust for respondents' propensity to be online.

In theory, with probability samples of this size, one could say with 95 percent certainty that the results have a sampling error of plus or minus 3 percentage points of what they would be if the entire U.S. adult population had been polled with complete accuracy. Unfortunately, there are several other possible sources of error in all polls or surveys that are probably more serious than theoretical calculations of sampling error. They include refusals to be interviewed (nonresponse), question wording and question order, interviewer bias, weighting by demographic control data and screening (e.g., for likely voters). It is impossible to quantify the errors that may result from these factors. This online sample is not a probability sample.

The European data come from the Eurobarometer 61 survey conducted for the European Commission in person (face-to-face) in February and March 2004.

These statements conform to the principles of disclosure of the National Council on Public Polls.

J22759
Q800, Q805, Q810

About Harris Interactive(R)


Harris Interactive Inc. (http://www.harrisinteractive.com/), the 15th largest and fastest-growing market research firm in the world, is a Rochester, N.Y.-based global research company that blends premier strategic consulting with innovative and efficient methods of investigation, analysis and application. Known for The Harris Poll(R) and for pioneering Internet-based research methods, Harris Interactive conducts proprietary and public research to help its clients achieve clear, material and enduring results.

Harris Interactive combines its intellectual capital, databases and technology to advance market leadership through U.S. offices and wholly owned subsidiaries: London-based HI Europe (http://www.hieurope.com/), Paris-based Novatris (http://www.novatris.com/), Tokyo-based Harris Interactive Japan, through newly acquired WirthlinWorldwide (http://www.wirthlinworldwide.com/), a Reston, Virginia-based research and consultancy firm ranked 25th largest in the world, and through an independent global network of affiliate market research companies. EOE M/F/D/V.

To become a member of the Harris Poll Online(SM) and be invited to participate in future online surveys, visit http://www.harrispollonline.com/.

Press Contacts:
Nancy Wong
Harris Interactive
585-214-7316

Kelly Gullo
Harris Interactive
585-214-7172

Harris Interactive Inc. 1/05

(1) "The next twelve months" refers specifically to the timeframes of
each of the surveys.



Source: Harris Interactive Inc.

CONTACT: Nancy Wong, +1-585-214-7316, or Kelly Gullo, +1-585-214-7172,
both of Harris Interactive

Web site: http://www.harrisinteractive.com/


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