Personal Financial Situation Index

Current Situation and Future Expectations

1. We are interested in how people's financial situation may have changed. Would you say that you are financially better off now than you were a year ago, or are you financially worse off now?

Current Personal Financial Situation Index = % Better Off minus % Worse Off

2. Now looking ahead, do you expect that at this time next year you will be financially better off than now, or worse off than now?

Future Personal Financial Expectations Index = % Better Off minus % Worse Off

	Current conditions	Future expectations
	pct. pts.	pct. pts.
2008 Sep 26-27	-29	33
2008 May 30-Jun 1	-29	21
2008 Jan 30-Feb 2	-10	37
2007 Oct 12-14	0	35
2007 Jan 15-18	20	46
2005 Jul 22-24	2	34
2005 Jan 14-16	7	38
2003 Nov 10-12	3	42
2003 Jul 18-20	-3	39
2003 Apr 14-16	-8	47
2003 Feb 17-19	-2	44
2002 Dec 16-17	-11	41
2002 Jul 22-24	-13	53
2002 May 20-22	1	54
2001 Dec 14-16	0	57
2001 Sep 7-10	1	41
2001 Aug 16-19	-4	48
2001 Jul 19-22	3	46
2001 Jun 11-17	5	40
2001 Apr 6-8	6	44
2001 Feb 1-4	16	42
2001 Jan 10-14	19	42
2000 Oct 6-9	33	57
2000 May 18-21	27	54
1999 Oct 21-24	37	55
1999 Aug 24-26	28	54
1999 Jun 4-5	37	50
1999 Jan 15-17	37	54
1998 Oct 29-Nov 1	29	54
1998 Mar 20-22	35	62
1997 Jun 26-29	18	42
1997 May 6-7	17	40
1996 Mar 8-10	28	50
1994 Dec 16-18	9	46
1994 May 20-22	7	38
1994 Mar 7-8	3	31
1993 Dec 4-6	5	38
1993 Jun 29-30	-5	35
1992 Feb 6-9	-12	26
1992 Jan 16-19	-13	23
1991 Dec 5-8	-7	33
1991 Oct 24-25	-18	20
1991 Oct 17-20	-7	32
1991 Sep 5-8	6	34
1991 Jul 11-14	2	42
1991 May 16-19	0	41
1991 Apr 11-14	-4	39
1991 Mar 21-24	-6	38
1991 Feb 28-Mar 3	9	55
1991 Feb 14-17	9	42
1991 Jan 11-13	-6	16
1991 Jan 3-6	3	32
1990 Dec 13-16	2	40
1990 Nov 15-16	-17	11
1990 Oct 25-28	3	35
1990 Oct 11-14	-9	18
1990 Sep 27-30	8	31
1990 Aug 9-12	14	37
1990 Jul 19-22	17	41
1990 Feb 8-11	25	52
1989 Jun 15-18	17	45
1989 Jan 24-26	18	48
1988 Sep 9-14	30	40
1988 May 13-22	23	44
1987 Aug 24-Sep 2	14	40
1987 Jun 8-14	11	40
1987 Mar 14-18	16	42
1987 Jan 16-19	11	36
1986 Sep 13-17	11	41
1986 Jul 11-14	14	36
1986 Jun 9-16	18	40
1986 Mar 7-10	16	43
1986 Jan 10-13	10	38
1985 Oct 11-14	11	37
1985 Jun 10-23	14	33
1985 Mar 8-11	22	45
1984 Nov 30-Dec 3	19	33
1984 Sep 7-10	13	44
1984 Jul 6-9	15	40
1984 Mar 16-19	10	43
1983 Jun 24-27	-11	24
1983 Mar 11-14	-21	23
1982 Nov 5-8	-8	19
1982 Sep 17-20	-12	16
1982 Jul 30-Aug 2	-21	8
1982 Feb 5-8	-19	11
1981 Oct 2-5	-15	9
1981 Jun 26-29	-2	19
1980 Jan	6	12
1979 Jun	3	6
1978 Jul	4	8
1978 Mar 31-Apr 3	-3	17
1977 Aug	11	20

Next, we are interested in how people's financial situation may have changed. Would you say that you are financially better off now than you were a year ago, or are you financially worse off now?

	Better off	Worse off	Same (vol.)	No opinion
	%	%	%	%
2008 Sep 26-27	26	55	19	*
2008 May 30-Jun 1	26	55	18	1
2008 Jan 30-Feb 2	34	44	21	1
2007 Oct 12-14	39	39	22	*
2007 Jan 15-18	50	30	19	1
2005 Jul 22-24	42	40	17	1
2005 Jan 14-16	40	33	27	*
2003 Nov 10-12	41	38	21	*
2003 Jul 18-20	36	39	25	*
2003 Apr 14-16	31	39	29	1
2003 Feb 17-19	39	41	20	--
2002 Dec 16-17	33	44	23	*
2002 Jul 22-24	32	45	23	*
2002 May 20-22	37	36	26	1
2001 Dec 14-16	37	37	25	1
2001 Sep 7-10	37	36	26	1
2001 Aug 16-19	37	41	21	1
2001 Jul 19-22	39	36	25	*
2001 Jun 11-17	42	37	20	1
2001 Apr 6-8	42	36	22	*
2001 Feb 1-4	46	30	23	1
2001 Jan 10-14	49	30	21	*
2000 Oct 6-9	55	22	22	1
2000 May 18-21	53	26	20	1
1999 Oct 21-24	56	19	24	1
1999 Aug 24-26	53	25	22	*
1999 Jun 4-5	57	20	22	1
1999 Jan 15-17	58	21	21	*
1998 Oct 29-Nov 1	53	24	22	1
1998 Mar 20-22	55	20	24	1
1997 Jun 26-29	44	26	29	1
1997 May 6-7	45	28	25	2
1996 Mar 8-10	49	21	29	1
1994 Dec 16-18	40	31	29	*
1994 May 20-22	40	33	26	1
1994 Mar 7-8	34	31	34	1
1993 Dec 4-6	36	31	33	*
1993 Jun 28-29	29	34	36	1
1992 Feb 6-9	34	46	19	1
1992 Jan 16-19	30	43	26	1
1991 Dec 5-8	33	40	26	1
1991 Oct 24-25	26	44	28	2
1991 Oct 17-20	35	42	22	1
1991 Sep 5-8	34	28	37	1
1991 Jul 11-14	34	32	33	1
1991 May 16-19	32	32	33	3
1991 Apr 11-14	29	33	36	1
1991 Mar 21-24	31	37	32	1
1991 Feb 28-Mar 3	37	28	34	1
1991 Feb 14-17	37	28	35	*
1991 Jan 11-13	27	33	39	1
1991 Jan 3-6	35	32	32	1
1990 Dec 13-16	38	36	26	*
1990 Nov 15-16	25	42	32	1
1990 Oct 25-28	38	35	26	1
1990 Oct 18-21	27	41	30	2
1990 Oct 11-14	32	41	26	*
1990 Sep 27-30	40	32	27	1
1990 Aug 9-12	43	29	27	1
1990 Jul 19-22	44	27	28	1
1990 Feb 8-11	49	24	26	1
1989 Jun 15-18	42	25	31	2
1989 Jan 24-28	44	26	28	2
1988 Sep 9-11	53	23	23	1
1988 May 13-15	47	24	28	1
1987 Aug 24-Sep 2	43	29	27	1
1987 Jun 8-14	43	32	24	1
1987 Mar 14-18	46	30	23	1
1987 Jan 16-19	39	28	33	*
1986 Sep 13-17	40	29	29	2
1986 Jul 11-14	39	25	35	1
1986 Jun 9-16	46	28	25	1
1986 Mar 4-10	46	30	24	*
1986 Jan 10-13	40	30	29	1
1985 Oct 11-14	38	27	34	1
1985 Jun 10-23	43	29	26	2
1985 Mar 8-11	47	25	27	1
1984 Nov 30-Dec 3	43	24	32	1
1984 Sep 7-9	39	26	34	1
1984 Jul 6-9	40	25	34	1
1984 Mar 16-19	36	26	37	1
1983 Jun 24-27	28	39	32	1
1983 Mar 11-14	25	46	28	1
1982 Nov 5-8	29	37	33	1
1982 Sep 17-20	27	39	32	2
1982 Jul 30-Aug 2	25	46	26	3
1982 Apr 23-26	28	39	31	2
1982 Feb 5-8	28	47	24	1
1981 Oct 2-5	28	43	28	1
1981 Jun 26-29	33	35	30	2
1980 Jan	30	24	45	1
1979 Jun	30	27	41	2
1978 Jul	35	31	32	2
1978 Mar 31-Apr 3	29	32	37	2
1977 Aug	39	28	31	2
1976 Sep	33	36	30	1
* Less than 0.5%
(vol.) = Volunteered response

Looking ahead, do you expect that at this time next year you will be financially better off than now, or worse off than now?

	Better off	Worse off	Same (vol.)	No opinion
	%	%	%	%
2008 Sep 26-27	58	25	13	5
2008 May 30-Jun 1	52	31	10	7
2008 Jan 30-Feb 2	60	23	12	5
2007 Oct 12-14	57	22	18	3
2007 Jan 15-18	65	19	12	4
2005 Jul 22-24	59	25	14	2
2005 Jan 14-16	60	22	14	4
2003 Nov 10-12	63	21	13	3
2003 Jul 18-20	60	21	16	3
2003 Apr 14-16	63	16	17	4
2003 Feb 17-19	64	20	12	4
2002 Dec 16-17	61	20	13	6
2002 Jul 22-24	67	14	13	6
2002 May 20-22	69	15	12	4
2001 Dec 14-16	69	12	15	4
2001 Sep 14-15	58	26	14	2
2001 Sep 7-10	61	20	15	4
2001 Aug 16-19	66	18	13	3
2001 Jul 19-22	64	18	13	5
2001 Jun 11-17	62	22	11	5
2001 Apr 6-8	62	18	15	5
2001 Feb 1-4	61	19	16	4
2001 Jan 10-14	63	21	13	3
2000 Oct 6-9	68	11	15	6
2000 May 18-21	67	13	14	6
1999 Oct 21-24	68	13	12	7
1999 Aug 24-26	67	13	16	4
1999 Jun 4-5	67	17	12	4
1999 Jan 15-17	68	14	14	4
1998 Oct 29-Nov 1	66	12	16	6
1998 Mar 20-22	71	9	14	6
1997 Jun 26-29	59	17	20	4
1997 May 6-7	60	20	17	3
1996 Mar 8-10	66	16	11	7
1994 Dec 16-18	63	17	17	3
1994 May 20-22	59	21	16	4
1994 Mar 7-8	53	22	19	6
1993 Dec 4-6	56	18	22	4
1993 Jun 29-30	49	14	32	5
1992 Nov 19-20	53	18	20	9
1992 Mar 26-29	51	28	16	6
1992 Feb 6-9	54	28	14	4
1992 Jan 16-19	51	28	15	6
1991 Dec 5-8	54	21	17	8
1991 Oct 24-25	45	25	19	11
1991 Oct 17-20	55	23	16	6
1991 Sep 5-8	53	19	22	6
1991 Jul 11-14	57	15	19	9
1991 May 16-19	57	16	19	8
1991 Apr 11-14	56	17	18	9
1991 Mar 21-24	56	18	20	6
1991 Feb 28-Mar 3	64	9	20	7
1991 Feb 14-17	57	15	20	8
1991 Jan 11-13	41	25	21	13
1991 Jan 3-6	52	20	18	10
1990 Dec 13-16	58	18	17	7
1990 Nov 15-16	42	31	17	10
1990 Oct 25-28	50	15	27	8
1990 Oct 11-14	48	30	13	9
1990 Sep 27-30	51	20	17	12
1990 Aug 9-12	57	20	16	7
1990 Jul 19-22	58	17	18	7
1990 Feb 8-11	65	13	16	6
1989 Jun 15-18	58	13	20	9
1989 Jan 24-26	61	13	19	7
1988 Sep 25-Oct 1	67	9	17	7
1988 Sep 9-14	54	14	29	3
1988 May 13-22	54	10	31	5
1988 May 2-8	63	9	17	11
1988 Jan 8-17	46	18	30	6
1987 Dec 16-17	61	15	17	7
1987 Oct 22-23	52	21	16	11
1987 Aug 24-Sep 2	56	16	20	8
1987 Jun 8-14	57	17	18	8
1987 Mar 14-18	59	17	18	6
1987 Jan 16-19	52	16	26	7
1986 Sep 13-17	57	16	19	8
1986 Jul 11-14	51	15	28	6
1986 Jun 9-16	57	17	20	6
1986 Mar 7-10	61	18	16	5
1986 Jan 10-13	53	15	25	7
1985 Oct 11-14	49	12	32	7
1985 Jun 10-23	52	19	19	10
1985 Mar 8-11	57	12	26	5
1984 Nov 30-Dec 3	50	17	28	5
1984 Sep 7-10	53	9	28	10
1984 Jul 6-9	52	12	28	8
1984 Mar 16-19	54	11	28	7
1983 Jun 24-27	43	19	28	10
1983 Mar 11-14	45	22	24	9
1982 Nov 5-8	41	22	27	10
1982 Sep 17-20	41	25	25	9
1982 Jul 30-Aug 2	37	29	24	10
1982 Feb 5-8	42	31	21	6
1981 Oct 2-5	40	31	21	8
1981 Jun 26-29	44	25	23	8
1980 May 16-19	41	28	23	8
1980 Jan	36	24	31	9
1979 Jun	33	27	30	10
1978 Jul	38	30	20	12
1978 Mar 31-Apr 3	40	23	29	8
1977 Aug	47	27	17	9
(vol.) = Volunteered response