How people weigh growth and inflation
Core finding
Adults prioritized avoiding recession in the forced economic tradeoff, but the broader economic evidence still showed pressure around housing and student-loan debt.
About 73% chose high inflation with a thriving economy and low unemployment over low inflation with high unemployment and recession. Roughly 68% said finding an equal or better nearby residence would be at least somewhat difficult.
Adults chose growth over recession
About 73% chose high inflation with a thriving economy and low unemployment. Roughly 27% chose low inflation with high unemployment and a recession.
The result does not mean adults were comfortable with inflation. It shows that when forced to choose between two bad economic packages, recession was the less acceptable outcome.
Topline
73% chose a thriving economy with high inflation over recession with low inflation.
n = 1,000 · Apr 19–27, 2023 · MoE ±3.6%
Unemployment training drew broad support
Roughly 74% favored the government spending more on education and training programs for the unemployed, even at the cost of reducing unemployment benefits.
That includes 55% who were in favor and 19% who were strongly in favor. About 26% were against or strongly against the tradeoff.
Housing still looked hard to replace
Roughly 68% said finding a nearby residence as good as or better than their current one would be at least somewhat difficult. About 32% said it would not be difficult at all.
Student-loan debt also read more as disadvantage than privilege. About 55% described people with student-loan debt as very or somewhat disadvantaged, while 45% described them as very or somewhat privileged.
Stacked breakdown
68% said finding an equal or better nearby residence would be at least somewhat difficult.
n = 1,000 · Apr 19–27, 2023 · MoE ±3.6%
Stacked breakdown
55% described people with student-loan debt as disadvantaged.
n = 1,000 · Apr 19–27, 2023 · MoE ±3.6%
Methodology
Full methodology →| Mode | Verasight panel recruited via random address-based sampling, random person-to-person text messaging, and dynamic online targeting |
|---|---|
| Population | United States adults who completed both waves of the survey |
| Field dates | Apr 19–27, 2023 |
| Base (unweighted) | 1,000 |
| Margin of error | ±3.6% |
| Module | MPSA 2023 Omnibus Survey #2023-032 |
| Sponsor | Verasight |
| Weight variable | weight |
| Weighting targets | age, race/ethnicity, sex, income, education, region, metropolitan status |
Sources
- verasight-mpsa-2023.tiiny.co
If you had to choose between one of the two options, which would you select? 1) High inflation, but a thriving economy and low unemployment or 2) Low inflation, but high unemployment and a recession
- verasight-mpsa-2023.tiiny.co
Would you be against or in favor of the government spending more on education and training programs for the unemployed at the cost of reducing unemployment benefits?
- verasight-mpsa-2023.tiiny.co
If you had to move to a new residence in the same area as you currently live, how difficult would it be for you to find a new place to live as good or better than your current residence?
- verasight-mpsa-2023.tiiny.co
Relative to yourself, would you say that people with student loan debt are overall, as a group...
Cite this topic
MPSA 2023 Omnibus Survey #2023-032, fielded April 19-27, 2023, N=1,000 United States adults who completed both waves of the survey, +/- 3.6%.