Well, I think that this poll isn't working very well. If this is some kind of online poll then pranksters must be doing continual voting. If this is phoning than you must be calling alot of Republicans. Maybe if you'd hit the streets you could actually get the real poll numbers!

Well, if you feel that we are in a recession, it must be true. GDP 3.8% unemployment 4.6%..
I hate when facts hurt feelings.

what about the approval rating of congress about 11% funny how you left that out of the story. pelosi and Harry Reid dont have the USA feeling to confident either. Seems like Bush's numbers are higher then Congress

This article is a joke.

First, it does not point out the simple fact that the country is not in a recession. The only reason people think there is a recession is because of CNN's garbage journalism.

Second, the poll points out Bush's poor approval ratings, while ignoring the fact that Congress's ratings are even lower. Of course, CNN is cherry picking facts for partisan reasons, but that is par for the course.

What do you expect from CNN? Honesty?

Absolute idiots. 90% are probably democrats without an ounce of economic sense in their empty skulls. When 69% of them are black, you automatically know that they are most likely democrats. The more uneducated you are, the more likely you are a democrat. This poll proves it yet again.

Opinion Research Corporation's parent company, InfoUSA, is controlled by Vinod Gupta, a noted donor to, fundraiser for, and supporter of Bill and Hillary Clinton.

The other 54% are blind or stupid.

btw, Milk is 4.29/gallon… but gubmint says NO INFLATION. YEAH RIGHT!!!

We have obviously been in a recession for the last 3-6 months.

Restaurants, Stores, Car Dealers, Housing… all sucking wind.

Thanks to the moderator for censoring my post. I guess the only way to get posted is with a "Bush is bad" comment. Pathetic.

It shows the power of the media. Tell the lie over and over and over again and stupid people will believe it. When Clinton was President, economic performance like this was a miracle and the press just tripped over themselves to spread the word. The press has had nothing good to say during this entire expansion.

So what you're really saying is, more than half of Americans believe the country is not in recession. There now, didn't that sound better? I know it accents the positive and could lead to optimism in the country and Bush's approval ratings could go up, and people would start to think republican economic policies are working and they might actually look at the economic data and find out it's true and…..OH! I get it now! Hey, good story on the Poll results!

Of course people think there is a recession. Articles like this keep saying it. Lets just hope it doesnt become a self fulfilling prophecy. What more important, hating Bush or talking ourselves into a recession?

Since blacks represent about 10% of the population, why would this poll sample include a total of more than 20% blacks? Makes a substantial difference in the outcome of the poll, does it not, and is a 'misrepresentation' to say the least.

so… are we in a recession? I would think not!

It appears the main stream media has succeeded in is dismal portayal of America.

We are moving more and more towards style over substance. People feel things that just aren't so, and nobody corrects them. Nowhere in this story does it say that we are NOT in a recession.

This just proves that people are dumb! They THINK we are in a recession, they THINK that global warming is going to kill us all in 10 years, they THINK that 9/11 was an inside job, they THINK that Katie Couric is a real journalist, etc

Record employment, near-record low unemployment, record incomes, record consumer spending, record household net worth, record stock prices and record corporate profits and these people think we are in a recession? From what planet did they just arrive?

This is a ridiculous "poll" given that the mass media has been lying, and hiding news about how good the economy really is! It is amazing that CNN would report something like this, when CNN is a major reason there is this perception that we are in recession. And I am African American; we are NOT all ignorant to media tactics.

So who is right? Are we in a recession or not? The article does a great job of defining a recession, but fails to mention whether or not the current economic situation meets said definition.

Scary how stupid Americans are. Why didn't the poll have a followup question: Please explain what a recession is. I bet less than 3% of the mental midgets polled could answer correctly.

We are now polling only white and black americans and that is suppose to represent everyone?
This isn't a real poll it is a "how are you feeling" test.
Since you threw in the Presidents approval numbers why not Congress as well. The real recession is in Washington and both parties are at fault.

Obviously those are ignorant democrats that watch CNN and think their getting trustworthy news coverage..

Oops! There I go again! One day I feel so good about the intelligence of my fellow man, and then this type of thing pops up. Now I am weeping for the future. I hope these people do not vote until they pass 12th grade.

What an ignorant, disconnected public we have in this country.

Well, it's not such a surprise, really. Alan Greenpan warned os likely US recession. Moreover, with a budget deficit of $240++ billion in 2006, US economy is highly challenged in many ways, isn't it? See what Greenspan said early this year about recession http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/02/26/ap/business/mainD8NHE4400.shtml

Did they bother to tell them that the country is NOT in recession. Maybe if the MSM wasn't so biased against the President and would just report the news… we wouldn't have this problem. Of course most Americans are Sheeple and believe everything they are told and don't bother to do any research of there own. Kinda like the MSM. Hmmmm, that includes YOU CNN!!

These polls are stupid. They amount to getting people who generally aren't fully informed on a issue to give their opinion on something that isn't opinion-based. There are economic indicators to tell us whether or not the US is in a recession. What people "think" means absolutely nothing.

Then this poll becomes a news story. When did journalists stop being journalists?

This completely fails to answer the question: ARE we in a recession?

The answer is, of course, no. Every economic indicator shows that the economy is doing great. We can thank news agencies' hard work for convincing people of a total fabrication, and common people's complacency for not bothering to find out themselves.

I forgot to add that once you throw in the race component, then it becomes an even "better" story.

l, it's not such a surprise, really. Alan Greenpan warned of likely US recession. Moreover, with a budget deficit of $240++ billion in 2006, US economy is highly challenged in many ways, isn't it? Find what Greenspan said early this year about recession http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/02/26/ap/business/mainD8NHE4400.shtml

This poll is seriously flawed. If African-Americans make up 12% of the population, why would your survey be comprised of 25% African Americans? We all know that the press and media want everyone under a Republican President
to think all is wrong, but the economy is very good for about 80% of all Americans. If a Democrat was in the oval office, we would be talking about the records set on Wall Street, low unemployment and rising wages. Amazing how we never here those facts reported on a daily basis.

Recession: Your neighbor is unemployed
Depression: You're unemployed

this makes perfect sense! since, the northeast newsreaders DAILY,and i mean DAILY ,report complete and total lies about virtually EVERYTHING!!pols indicate this,doom and dipare,daily! these are godless heathens who desire a country more like france than america!goebbells had it right,lie often enough and it becomes the TRUTH!! and dim-o-rats and their treasonist friends in the media do it goebbells-like DAILY!!

For those that don't think there is bias in the mainstream press…this is a perfect example of it….oh yea, I forgot that it's possible it's just total incompetence on the part of the pollsters and CNN for publishing it..

40% of the survey is comprised of people with a skewed view that is not representative of the whole.

The sampling of these skewed viewers represents over 3 times their percentage in the population.

So if you take a poll witout correct sampling…the poll cannot be correct, and this is a gross error because when a certain population of respondents is 330% higher than their representation in the population you are trying to poll, it's either gross incompetence or gross bias….not slight or overlooked.

In addition to what people think, how about reporting the numbers. Is there a recession or not? What do the statistics say?

Since the black population is about 12 or 13 percent, why would your survey poll double that number without disclosing that the results will be skewed?

It might have been helpful to include the real economic data - which shows that the 46% are wrong.

How about a story about how so many people have been mislead into this false conclusion?

I wonder which party these clueless people (46%) are registered. Perhaps they are Democrats?

How could we be in a recession with 6 years of straight economic growth and full employment?

Facts would be helpful - unless you want to perpetuate the ignorance.

Bush's low approval rating among "white people" has to do with him not being conservative (spending, lack of border control and inability to articulate why we are in Iraq). We want someone who is more conservative than Bush.

Well, that just goes to show you that half of the people in the USA are idiots.
Anyone who thinks this roaring and booming economy is in a recession is truly ignorant of the facts.

The poll is all well and good…but it is garbage in and garbage out! The economy is clearly not in a recession….and financial person will be able to tell you that! If you ask people something they do not know the definition of…..of course they may try and sound smart by saying "why yes the housing market is down..we must be in a recession"
I also love the continued attempts at racial divide by breaking the poll into black and white numbers….great job CNN…I am sure Al and Jesse are happy….why not break it down further and add Hispanics to the mix….they are the new minority…..

Are you kidding me?

"The recession numbers may be having an impact on President Bush’s approval rating."

What recession numbers? Do you mean your flakey poll numbers?

Your expert is great at spinning the definition of a recession with this statement "According to CNN’s Ali Velshi, the National Bureau of Economic Research defines a recession as “a significant decline in economic activity spread across the economy, lasting more than a few months, normally visible in real GDP, real income, employment, industrial production, and wholesale-retail sales. "

The actual definition for a recession is "a recession is a decline in any country's Gross Domestic Product (GDP), or negative real economic growth, for two or more successive quarters of a year."

Even if his were the definition of a recession, what is the current unemployment rate? The GDP? Income? etc…?

If I landed from Mars and watched any news coverage outside of the financial networks I would think we are in recession too! Ten years ago, when the economic statistics were similiar (unemployment, job creation, GDP ect.) the news coverage was more positive for some reason. The African American middle class is larger and more properous than ever before and yet this poll suggests they do not have confidence in current economic policies? I don't quite get it. What is the alternative? Raise taxes and spend more and leave these same families with less?

Wow!! The mainstream media machine should be quite proud of keeping 46% of Americans that ignorant. We've had incredible economic growth in the last 3 or 4 years in spite of record oil prices and the sub-prime mortgage debacle and yet the left-wing media salivates at every opportunity to tell Americans how miserable our lives are. You can say what you want, but I choose not to take part in your "recession" - I know better.

Where are the poll numbers for the "Pelosi Do Nothing Congress"? 11% approval rating I beleive. The lowest in history.This recession talk just goes to show that if you tell a lie long enough people will beleive it.

The reason Americans think the country is in a recession is quite simply because the partisan media deliberately misrepresents the truth in a concerted effort to destroy the president. I imagine those who disagree with the premise that the country is in a recession also listen to independent media sources.

Is anyone surprised?

Is this article itself an attempt to further slam the president and undermine Republicans (by trumpeting his poll numbers and ignoring the democrat congress's role)?

What transparent shills you are.

While many people may believe that the U.S. is in a recession, the fact remains that we are not.

This just shows the lack of economic education of the geberal public and the ability of the major media to capitalize on this ignorance for their own purposes.

This story is an attempt to create a story instead of reporting.

I wonder why the story has not corrected the public opinion with the facts?

Gee, could that be because CNN and the other Democrat "news" channels play up even the slightest bad numbers, ignore the good ones, and don't bother to mention when the "bad" numbers are later adjusted upwards?

Soooooo are we in a recession or not?

It is stunning how people could possibly think we are in a recession. This poll shows the danger of the negative economic focus of the mainstream news outlets that has clearly misled the public into this false belief. I know people have to also be responsible for their own ignorance, but when their sources of information are misleading it is hard to fault the fools of this poll.

what the hell does race have to do with this poll. what do asians and mexicans and muslims and jews think the country is doing. were anybody polled an economist. the average person doesnt know what it is to be in a recession other then what the doom and gloom media tells them.

I find it hilarious that news organizations are always posting polls showing the public to be negative on the economy. First, you never post positive economic stories when Republicans are president. Second, do you even bother to ask the people you're polling if they understand the question? For instance, do your poll respondents even know how to define a recession? By the way, in economics a recession is defined as a decline in GDP over two or more consecutive quarters, not what you claim.

This story is ridiculous, at the very least a good journalist should include in here that we are definitely NOT in a recession, that the economny has been growing for something like18 straight quarters.

It would have been telling to note that while Bush's approval rating stands at 36%, Congress's approval rating is much lower.

I don't care what people think about the economy. The bottom line is the economy can me measured by GDP, real income, employment, etc. The actual poll question should be: How many people are duped into thinking the economy is bad?

I guess the liberal media machine is working. People are misinformed constantly about the economy, politics, the war, etc.. The liberal media is only committed to an agenda. Facts and truth matter none.

Isn't it irresponsible for a news organization to report such a poll and, at the same time, fail to report whether the opinions cited have any basis in fact? The article itself gives objective criteria from experts about what a recession is, so plug in the numbers and tell your readers whether the poll respondents are out to lunch or not.

So you provide the definition of recession but you don't say we're not in one?

Part of the problem with the perception is that news organization print articles like this one that give the perception of a poor, shrinking economy even though it is expanding. The poll highlights ignorance and CNN doesn't seem to want to cure it.

"Expansion is the normal state of the economy; most recessions are brief and they have been rare in recent decades."

Two things, one, you did not state the fact that WE ARE NOT IN A RECESSION, but in the expansion phase (normal) you cleverly put the definition out there but don't make the POINT of what state we are in.

Two, you easily could have noted that we did RECENTLY have a recession at the end of the CLINTON years (dotcom boom went bust) and it was the shortest ever because the idiot Bush enacted the tax cuts for people that actually pay taxes and that is also what got us through the possibility of our economy being DEVASTATED after 9-11.

One of the few bright things Bush did were the tax cuts as it saved our tails.

It would be nice if this article had stated whether or not we actually are in a recession, rather than just the public's opinion on the subject, since being in a recession is something that we can quantitatively determine without relying on public opinion. Google for "US recession 2007″ and you see any number of articles predicting that we will have a recession in the near future, but no reputable source is saying that we are currently in a recession. Of course if this article noted that we aren't currently in a recession, it would make people wonder why half the public believes something that is provably false…

Once again a poll used to move an Editorial to the front page.

And this prove what… that nearly half of Americans are ignorant of the current economic prosperity?

This poll reflects the efforts of the drive by media; including CNN, attempt to convince the viewers that our economy is bad simply because there is a republican in the white house.

I guess congratulations for a good job lying to America CNN!

How can CNN run a recession story when the economy has been growing every year except for one for the last 15 years?

This country is not in a recession, however, the media would like you to think so. That is why so many people think we are in a recession (technical definition is two quarters of negative growth).

Many Americans believe we are in a recession because of the nonstop negative spin by the media. Virtually all of the key economic indicators have been favorable for years now, and the media has successfully portrayed the economy as being in turmoil. The media is always looking for trouble around the corner. The funny thing is the press did not have this approach near the end of the Clinton Administration, when there really was a crash coming.

This is stupid. A recession by definition is 2 successive quarters of neative growth in the GDP. The Fact that almost 50% of the population thinks we are in recession certainly explains why most households are in debt.

Its amazing how people insist the economy is in a recession, despite the facts on the ground. Unemployment is the same as the best years under Clinton, more people own homes, there's more jobs - the DJIA went from 0 to 9000 in the half-century leading up to now, and since 2001 has grown from 9000-14,000. 9000 in fifty years vs 5000 in 7 years. Income in Real Dollars is trending upwards, and is higher than it was during Clinton's heyday. Gosh, our economy is suffering SO badly.

The economy is clearly not in recession. I would expect that those who think it is are not well informed. Their news sources are limited and they do not have inquing minds. I suspect many who think the economy is in recession are unemployed or working low wage jobs.

Leave it to CNN to post just the results of the poll, and not bother to mention that we aren't, in fact, in a recession, and in fact haven't been in one for almost six years. Way to educate when you have the chance, Mr. Steinhauser. Good lord.

Great story but… Did you forget one major piece of information vital to the story? The actual FACT that we are not in a recession. Maybe you should start reporting the actual facts?

This story is incomplete because it is lacking the current economic data.
Why would a story on the perception of the economy not include the actual data on the economy?
Why did these people think we are in a recession?
Is CNN saying that we are in a recession, based on the beliefs of the people? Or are they saying that these people are incorrect in their perceptions of the economy?

Main stream media portrays the economy as being bad because if they didnt, Hillary or Obama wont win the election. How else can you explain that nearly half the people in the US think we're in a recession when we're not even CLOSE?

Funny how you neglect to mention that we are, in fact, *not* in a recession and have not been in a recession for many years. The economy is doing just fine. The reason so many people think things are going badly is because the news media relentlessly spins, downplays, or buries any good economic news, while trumpeting loudly any negative economic news, simply because a Republican president is in office. The bias and disinformation is so transparent that it's disgraceful.

OK, you reported half the story, what about the other half? You say people THINK we are in a depression, then give the definition of a depression.

So by the economist's definition are we in a depression? Or is it just a perception?

"The recession numbers may be havcing an impact on Bush's approval rating"????????

What 'recession numbers'? Show me the numbers that support a conclusion that we're in a recession. Don't show me poll numbers from a skewed survey in order to taint the fiscal policy of this administration

Ok..CNN…here's your chance to be objective. Is the economy in a recession or not? OBviously..it is not and has not been for years. This was an opportunity to report a real story. It would help to point out how misinformed most Americans are. By leaving the next most important part out…you lose credibility. WHy are Americans so mis-informed? Look no further than this article.

The ongoing expansion, which began in late 2001 after Bush's tax cuts, has survived the September 11 terrorist attacks, corporate scandals, ongoing war, natural disasters like Hurricane Katrina, and an external shock that caused energy commodity prices to double. Yet the economy enters its fifth year of expansion this November.

Industrial production, which reached a trough in November 2001, the month the recession ended, has expanded in 30 subsequent months. Nonfarm employment has expanded by 4.2 million jobs since hitting its trough in May 2003, recording job growth in 27 of the next 28 months. Of these gains, 3.9 million have occurred in private industry sectors.

Expanding production and employment are synonymous with economic expansion, not evidence that another recession is looming.

This poll shows a majority of Americans do not have a basic understanding of economics nor do they follow weekly and monthly economic data that is published.

Would it not occur to the author of this report to mention that the people who believe we are in a Recession are in fact WRONG! The economy is continuing the long run up of expansion that dates back to at least 2002. It just shows that most people are ignorant of economic fact, and that CNN is a willing participant of spreading this ignorance.

Why don't you tell the real numbers instead of "make believe" numbers? What are the REAL numbers on the economy? You told us the definition of a recession,so how does that relate to the real numbers of our economy?

How was the question worded?

How can we be in recession? The Government says everything is fine and inflation is low. Dont you believe the Government? And the major news media? They would never tell lies or misrepresent the facts would they? Open your eyes folks. You are being fed a load of garbage. This country is in big trouble and the news media and our elite liars in Congress and the White House dont want you to wake up to the truth.

Hmm, what happened to my post that was critical toward your silly article? There wasn't anything even remotely offensive in it. I simply pointed out that while you were busy writing five sentences defining what a recession is, that you might have also wanted to do a little research and point out that we have 22 quarters of consecutive growth.
It would be useful to point out when the general public is uninformed and mistaken. That's what news organizations should do.

"Nearly half think U.S. in recession" - nearly half are ignorant and uninformed (I'm being nice)?

Maybe that "nearly half" gets all their news from CNN, and that's why!

And from what source do Americans get information about a: what does “recession” mean?, and b: what are the current facts about the economy?

What's the differerence between a recession and a depression?
During a recession, your neighbor loses his job. During a depression, you lose your job.
I heard last night Bush's approval rating was down to 22% after he vetoed SCHIP. Quack loud, lame duck.

The current expansion is longer than six other postwar expansions. Few critics would have forecast that the current expansion would be entering its seventh year, especially in 2003, when there was exaggerated political fussiness about a so-called “double-dip” recession.

The consumer price index (CPI) increased 6.2 percent in 1973, 11 percent in 1974, and 9.1 percent in 1975. Today’s inflation rate is tame by comparison, increasing 2.3 percent in 2003 and 2.7 percent in 2004. The CPI has increased 2.4 percent in 2005 and has held steady since. The analogy that the economic dems attempt to draw between today’s events and those of the mid-1970s is weak at best.

Contrary to what the Dems are telling us, the U.S. economy, about to enter its seventh consecutive year of expansion, should never be underestimated.

In dollar denominated terms, we have been in a recession and things are getting worse. In fact, subracting the effects of devalued currency and inflation, the stock indexes are as low as in the 1980s.

http://www.shadowstats.com/cgi-bin/sgs/data

This proves CNN surveys complete and utter IDIOTS. Don't belive anyting that says "…in a new CNN-Opinion Research Corporation Poll." I can't believe CNN admits they call idiots when conductiong these pulls. If you are one of those who believe we are in a recession, please move to Cuba or Iran or China, or Mexico. You'll feel more at home there.

I kept reading the article, looking for the part where CNN talks about the real numbers…then the article ended.
WTF?
Rush, Hannity et al are cons but admit it, CNN has a liberal agenda but calls it journalism. We're all doomed!!

Good job letting the readers know we're NOT in a recession. I guess it only matters what people think, not what the facts are. Thankfully people can reply to this garbage.

CNN reports that nearly half of all Americans think we're in a recession - but CNN does not report the objective and verifiable fact that we are not, in fact, in a recession.

Yesterday CNN reported that a majority of Americans favor overriding President Bush' veto of the Democrats' massive expansion of the SCHIP program. But the CNN poll was based on Democrat spin rather than an explanantion of what the Democrats were actually trying to do. The proof is that a USA Today poll revealed that when the expansion of the program is explained, a majority favor the President's position.

With biased agenda-driven reporting like CNN's, it's no wonder that so many Americans are misinformed.

Apparently, the individual posts here haven't figured out that the figures you are looking at are not legitimate. This is geared to make the markets move. In reality, inflation is out of control. Look at gold prices. This isn't just because of geopolitics. Oil is through the roof because of speculators and because are dollar isn't worth the value of the paper its printed on. Our markets are artificially inflated by the insiders so they can take your money. See how carefully the news articles are released so as to motivate the little people and the uninformed to make decisions just so that people with real money can take it from you. Wake up people. Do your own research.
Do not look at the numbers. They are not legitimate and are only there to mislead you. If you don't believe me follow the recommendations you hear on CNBC and watch what happens to your money.

I guess for CNN to correct the story on how people are wrong about the recession, they would also have to give President Bush credit for the economic plan of cutting taxes to end the previous recession left by Clinton and to have the economy growing for 5 years, during war time no less. Thus we are left with a story that just shows a majority of people are ignorant of economic fact…wonder if these same people all vote Democrate?

Its a great economy for investors - there are lots of people with more money than they know what to do with driving up the price of investments far above their value.

When it comes to the real economy most Americans live in, you bet its in recession. The real jobless rate is hidden behind those who've exhausted their benefits, job creation is abyssmal, wages for the lower 60% of Americans has been stagnant for the last six years. We've replaced our manufacturing base with telemarketing, and now were are offshoring telemarketting.

The US economy in not in recession in the same way Bill Gates and I have an average of 14 billion in wealth.

Brilliant. The story does not take the press to task for a populace so ill-informed about the economy. And of course links the economy to Bush's low approval rating without mentioning Congress' (Pelosi and Reid) even lower approval rating. CNN is a joke. If Drudge hadn't link this I would never have read it.

If someone is in economic difficulty, it's most likely that person's responsibility and not the government's responsibility. It's just too easy to switch responsibility in this age of government bashing.

This poll simply shows the ignorance of the American people.
Why did Cnn omit the economic data that shows that our economy is in a robust state?

Apparently not one of you has noticed the slide in the 50% + slide in the value of the 'dollar'. One way to hide a recession is to devalue the currency and protect the last 36% that like the current Bush regime.

K Reed- You are correct (except for spelling negative wrong)! Why do we waste so much time on people's feelings? If I "feel" like my house is on fire when it isn't, should I keep calling the fire department? People would be much better off if they stopped listening to media hype and used their brain instead. But I guess I am being unrealistic…

The Democrats and their Public Enlightenment agents have done a masterful job. Goebbels would be proud.

Are there no economists available to CNN? If this is a recession, let's have more of it.

No wonder FOX NEWS has overtaken CNN in Cable News.

LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, WE ARE NOT IN A RECESSION!! Since CNN didn't care to announce that, I felt we should. Mr. Bush in fact inherited a recession, the dot.com crash, and for God's sake 911!! That by itself is enough to destroy the economy of most countries!! Fortunately with tax cuts spurring growth, and some smart moves by the fed, we now have 4% unemployment and 20+ quarters of successive growth. I for one, being self-employed now have good health insurance because I'm making more money!! Count me in the 36% approval. He's not perfect, but he cuts taxes and kills the bad guys. Not reasons with them….kills them.

Note to Carl: Your glass is 2% empty.

The stunning misreporting by CNN has created a false perception on purpose!!! Wait until the real recession hits and it's the Democrats who caused it! They will lie about that too.

Although the rich traveling aboard will find things more expensive. The effects of devalued US currency are also benefitial to our economy. Exports become cheaper and imports more expensive, helping to lower the trade deficit.

Salil,
don't believe everything the government tells you with bogus cooked book statistics.. unemployment is much higher.. after unemployment benefits expire- the government does not count those who still have not found a job..
MORE PEOPLE ARE LOSING HOMES! because of the huge injections of money from the federal reserve which goes directly to the banks, which the banks use to purchase securities– this is why the dow is going up! a gallon of milk used to cost 1.69/gallon 3 years ago now ita approaching 3.00- inflationm is much higher than the stated 2% try 10 to 12% everything costs more.. food energy housing etc etc.. the Dollar has lost 60% of its purchasing power vs the euro dollar since 1999.. but were not in a recession?? what was the credit crunch that just hit a month ago or so and is STILL GO ON TODAY .. go watch cnbc even those biased morons admit it.. WAKE UP FOLKS THIS ECONOMY is NOT GOOD. since 1913 the dollar have lost 93% of its purchasing power.. what cast 1.00 in 1913 now costs 93!
I don't know abouyt you but i'm tired of the government lies and deception it in their interest to lie about statistics! M3 which the government does not report anymore is exploding at a 13% rate.. and we wonder why we have inflation! time for a new change! Ron Paul is the only candidate who has the answers to these hard questions.. he knows what to do!
Ron Paul in 08!! ronpaul2008.com

CNN can't say that there isn't in fact a recession because then the one take away from this article is that 69% of Black American's have no clue versus 42% of White Americans.

I'm an informed American and I hear the reports of the economy "expanding". But who is it expanding for? I don't deal in the market (can't afford it). So MY economy is not expanding. The article did not state whether the economy was expanding or not, but that whoever they polled "felt" that way. I live in a middle class neighborhood, decent career, but I don't see any "expansion" that the reports state. Its all about "perception"

So nearly half the poll respondents are too dumb to know what a recession is. And certainly CNN is being so unbiased to not tell those dummies that the economy is expanding.

What goes up will always come down (and will go up again). Remember real estate? Buy, Buy, Buy, the growth in equity is non-stop; Let's encourage people to use their equity as a piggy bank? Our country's debt is owned by China, folks. In fact, our economy is dependent on people going into debt so that they can continue to buy, buy, buy.

This recession is coming but very slowly but it always is felt first among people with lower incomes and it trickles up. The time to tell will be around the holidays. It has always seemed weird to me that this country's economy is dependent on a supposedly religous holiday. That is one of the reasons I have never bought into all that stress filled Christmas hype. We keep it pretty low-key. If everyone did that our economy would collapse, I guess.

It won't effect every strata of business though. The oil and gas industries will be making large profits this winter as people will have to make the choice between keeping their house comfortable, putting gas in their cars, and Christmas. Something tells me that for certain segment of society (well paid politicians and the wealthy) will not feel a thing but the middle to lower end classes are going to be really pinched.

My impression is that the media is surprised that people feel this way (because those in the media are well paid). There is a real sense of forboding out there and if you do not sense it then you are in for a shock. I would advise everyone to keep your credit debt low and save your money.

Recession? That's putting it mildly. Here in the state of Michigan we're practically in a full blown depression. And yes folks…it's all going to India and China. So fast it would make your head spin. And we lay the blame right at the feet of G.W.Bush and his merry little band of Republican free trade extremists.

Would you like to see millions and millions of square feet of vacant or abandoned industrial real estate and office space? Boarded up schools and police stations in what were once nice neighborhoods? Vacant or abandoned homes in what were once some of the nicer suburbs? Then come to Michigan! This is where state government in Lansing is on the verge of total collapse because there is no revenue to collect. Afterall, bankrupt corporations and individuals don't pay taxes. The number of bankrupcies ( both corporate and personal ) is at an all time high and still trending upward. We have the highest unemployment. The number of home forclosures is staggering…tens and tens of thousands. Thousands of homes are being sold at auction. Some families are handing the keys to their homes to the bank and just walking away. Others are leaving the keys on the counter and walking away in the middle of the night. I love the way the media and Wall Street blame the sub-prime mortgage mess on poor lending practices and irresponsible borrowers. Why don't they ever mention the hundereds of thousands of honest families who defaulted on their loans because their jobs were shipped overseas? (And this is not just a Michigan problem.) Many talented college graduates are fleeing the state before the ink is even dry on their diplomas simply because employment prospects are so dismal. This is free trade? We are paying way too high a price for those policies enacted in Washington which actually encourage corporations to outsource or move offshore. Why doesn't George W. Bush come to Michigan more often so he can see what he's done for us in the last 6 or 7 years?

These comments are unbelievable. I have no idea what is wrong with some of these people.

Shouldn't we be polling economists, or people in finance? Wouldn't that be a more accurate indicator of where we are headed? That poll probably wouldn't make good news, because most likely those people don't believe we are in a recession.

But the media has made sure the average person thinks we are in a recession. The perception is better than the reality - especially when trying to make up bad news.

To the "nearly half" that believe we are in a recession. Get the facts. Recognize! If you want to know what a recession is, take a look at what Bush inherited from Clinton. Because Clinton gave us a true recession by definition. Not mearly what stupid people believed to be a recession.

Guys, why are we so defensive about the poll results? Why is it about liberal or not?

OK, say we are not in recession, we would love to say that we are not going to be ever in recession, BUT ….. our trade deficit is paramount and getting worse. How much money do we owe from China, for instance, do you think? Geeeee ……

Could we get some real economic data here?? I guess CNN thinks if they can get 46% of the country to believe something, then it must be FACT. Hmm… sounds similar to their global warming arguments…..

Hopefully Fox/Business will help overcome the economic-financial knowledge information void created by our public education system and perpetuated by "news" outlets like CNN.

PROOF THAT CNN, NBC, ABC, CBS ARE NOT DOING THEIR JOB… WE ARE NOT IN A RECESSION, BUT THE MAINSTREAM MEDIA HAS LEAD PEOPLE TO BELIEVE WE ARE…IT HAS TO BE THE MEDIA'S INTENTION TO MISLEAD…NO OTHER EXPLANATION WORKS!

I've seen the idiot lou dobbs dedicate entire shows to how poorly the economy is doing. CNN are a bunch of partisan phonies who create their own news.

PROOF THAT CNN, NBC, ABC, CBS ARE NOT DOING THEIR JOB… WE ARE NOT IN A RECESSION, BUT THE MAINSTREAM MEDIA HAS LEAD PEOPLE TO BELIEVE WE ARE…IT HAS TO BE THE MEDIA'S INTENTION TO MISLEAD…NO OTHER EXPLANATION WORKS!

Who really cares what the black population thinks. The leaders of crime and prison population. No wonder they don't like Bush. I'd like to see the figures of how many eligible blacks actually vote. I would be more worried about what the legal Spanish population thinks.

YES WE ARE IN A RECESSION……..Or why would employers on Craigslist still get 200+ resumes for a lousy $10 hr job in Manhattan?

Plus its NO big deal anymore if 5000 people show up at Walmart for 350 jobs….thats 'JUST NORMAL" TODAY.

News reporters are totally oblivious to these stories.

What you are saying is that 50% percent of Americans are wrong! You point out that 50% of the people think we're in a recession,and then you define it. You are actively trying to mislead your readers by implying that we are in one - when anybody with more than 5 working brain cells knows we aren't! I wonder how so many people be could be so totally wrong about a subject? They probably get their info - and are stupid enough to believe it - on cnn.
PS to all you cnn loving skeptics - you know we aren't in a recession, or cnn would be 24/7 on how Hillary is the only one who can get us out of this recession. They would of course leave out the fact that she has literally no experience! NONE! What real work economic experience does she have? None! - This is why so many people call cnn the Clinton News Network, and why their ratings are goin to continue to fall. They just don't learn! If she wins, the dems are gong to lose everything in two years - again - just like they did the first time the Clinton's got into office. She is by far the weakest general election candidate for the Democrats

The National Bureau of Economic Research defines a recession as "a significant decline in economic activity spread across the economy, lasting more than a few months, normally visible in real GDP (Gross Domestic Product), real income, employment, industrial production and wholesale-retail sales."

What a bunch of crap this definition is. So an example in their eyes is 10% growth in one year, slowing down to 5% growth over the next 3 to 4 years? There is still growth, just at a slower rate. A recession is NEGATIVE growth. These liberal decievers use the same phoney math with so called spending "cuts". There are never any "cuts", just a smaller increase than the greedy democrats wanted for their failed social programs.

What does race have to do with this? I'm with the guy who commented 8th who cares America is America. There's no Black America and White America. If America is in recession we're(Black and White)all in recession. The government digs too deep into things.

You Republican idiots who think that the economy is so great! Great for who? Great for the rich and the big corporations!! For the average American we ARE in a recession! The poor and working class are not feeling the benefits. Its all about the "investor class now" The gap between the rich and poor is expanding! That is NOT a good economy!

Weird. Where are all the Bush bashers on this topic?

We have had 36 plus months of steady economic growth and a shrinking deficit (in spite of the war in Iraq). Seems to me the Bush tax cuts did their job.

CNN is really fishing on this one.

Interesting to see all the people come out saying how can we be in a recession …look at well things are going.

I bet these are the same folks that have no idea how the feds create hidden inflation with their monetary decisions. All they here is Bush or Clinton mouthing words that are handed to them before they reach the podium.

As the mother that lives in denial that her husband is a wife beating alcoholic, many people only want to believe that we are on a forever increasing prosperity path. Heck I doubt if many even know of the M1, M2, and M3.

Modern inflation is a persistent increase in the level of consumer prices or a persistent decline in the purchasing power of money. It can be caused by an increase in available currency and credit beyond the proportion of available goods and services.

Anybody that purchases the family groceries (which I do)know and see inflation. The can of beans that two months ago sold for 35 cents is now 52 cents, eggs were $1.03 and now they are $1.44, milk is at record highs. Posters are expecting us to believe that it is all ok when inflation on food is 15 percent?

Even from a common sense standpoint does anyone think that the recent rapid increase of gasoline isn't going to show up on the price of goods and service?

Do ya think, just maybe, all those empty condos, the ones that were over built aren't going to affect anything.
Try getting a home equity loan. Good luck on that one.

Heck people think the DJIA, that small basket of stocks, somehow means that everything is OK. A certain percentage of Americans, the top 10 percent, owns most of the equity offerings in the USA. When they decide to dump, securities will slide.

Once China decides to dump the USA debentures, look out. There is no way in this world that you can still deny what is looking you in the face.

I live in an area that is still seeing hyper housing growth. We are 60 minutes from one of America's largest cities and we are still on the path of becoming the number one bedroom community. So contractors and those in construction are still seeing growth. Those in the manufacturing sector …their dead in the water. Once the new construction stops, reaches its capacity, our local landscape will be filled with houses, fast food and retail. Those construction people will be looking for work but the only work will be at $9 an hour jobs. I think it is a reason that some people say, hey everything is fine, we are doing well. Yes, your sector of the USA may be doing OK but there are sectors that aren't doing well and will never recover. In the old days, the manufacturing days, that manufacturing was spread across the USA, it wasn't a sector economy. New housing has been the driving force behind the good numbers. From what I hear that driving force lost its wind @ last June.

Don't pull the curtain back too far because you may not like what you see.

The 46% of Americans who are out of touch with reality and obviously have no clue about the economy are probably the ones who will be casting votes for Obama and Hillary. Let's hope the logical 51% will vote the other way. Thanks for reporting the ignorance of the public, but how about being objective and presenting the true facts about the strong economy? This is CNN though, so I won't hold my breathe.

Sure, the stock market is going up, employers are hiring, and business (AKA large corporations) are making more and more money. So while the economy is doing great, the average American isn't, so they believe that we are in a recession.

People's perceptions are very skewed due to the fact that actual income for the majority of Americans has been on the decline. The price of goods and services has gone up. And not just luxury items, but food, housing, fuel, and health care have increased exponentially, while incomes have remained steady or declined. The dollar has been consistently been devalued, even Canadian currency is worth more than your dollars.

So while the economy and the 1% of Americans that have 25% of the wealth are doing great, the majority is getting the shaft in this new economy.

Update: Over 90% of the people polled can't correctly define what a recession is.

Whi the hell cares what half of Americans think? Why is that news and why do I tune in here to find you morons just passing information along without qualifying it. You and media outlets who do this same thing are the reason that half of Americans are so misinformed. If I couldn't add or subtract, I might think that home ownership is currently a losing proposition because the value of my house has "dwindled"–to use a CNN term by 4% over the last few months, even though the long term appreciation has more than tripled my investment in 10 years.

It simply isn't enough to pass along information. It also isn't enough to spin the information. Is there any source of news that cares anything about a thoughtful interpretation of current events so that Americans don't have to be experts in everything to sort anything out…besides "The Economist" magazine?

The state of the media in America is embarassing. You and others like you should be ashamed. The right wing crackpots on the radio are also nuts, but no worse. They just "talk uglier".

It is obvious that the economy has been in steep decline for the last four years. Jewelry went up in price by forty percent from just last year alone. Inflation is at 12% per annum, if you INCLUDE cost of food and fuel. The car industry is crashing and burning. Credit spending is off the charts. More people don't OWN their homes, more people OWE for the houses they reside in. Actual pay scale has declined while finished products actually cost more in hours to ownership comparison tables.

More people have to have two jobs for the one that they lost due to globalist hucksterism and propaganda. With illegal aliens taking American jobs for lower wages the actual wages have dropped significantly. And now the entire financial system is on the edge of a grand canyon of collapse because of the greedy, exploitive, international bankers and their cronies in the Fed, legislature and executive branches.

The reason why people think that we are in a recession is because the economy overall is not doing well. Yes I know some of you may think otherwise, what with the stock market doing so well…….. and that's exactly where you're going wrong. Yes, the BUSINESS economy is doing great. The economy as a whole is not doing well though, because those that actually have to work for a living are finding themselves less and less able to do so. This whole situation proves that Reagan's "trickle down" effect doesn't work, so I really can't understand why there's still anyone who thinks that conservatives are going to be able to fix anything when the shining example of a conservative president is dead wrong.

It is really scary when you realize that Hillary & company will stop a nothing to get power. This nation is really really ill. How sad it has come to this point. It makes me want to puke.

What young person in their right mind would join the military and put their life on the line for this nation. America has become a cesspool.

I loath liberals…

The draft will return if Hillary becomes POTUS. The military will not be able to retain people and nobody will join.

I believe in late term abortion for liberal babies.

When you show that the majority of blacks think we are in a recession are you just trying to show they are uneducated or unknowlegable. What exactly are you trying to say because that fact is….we are not in a recession. And who really cares what blacks think? Why don't we see what the Japanese/Americans think. Blacks are not even the larges minority group as Hispanics have surpassed them. CNN works hard to keep a racial divide between blacks and every other ethnic group. I am sure this will not get posted either as CNN loves covering up the truth.

Guys, why are we so defensive about the poll results? Why is it about liberal or not?

OK, say we are not in recession, we would love to say that we are not going to be ever in recession, BUT ….. our trade deficit is paramount and getting worse. How much money do we owe from China, for instance, do you think? Geeeee … let's look at the government's official figures:

For 2007 (as of August), US EXPORTS to China is ONLY US$41,230.200,000 (US$41.2 billion), IMPORTS from China is 205,062.300,000 (US$205 billion), trade deficit with China is US 163,832,000,000 (US$163.8 billion). Just imagine by the end of the year …. how can we balance the trade? Close down Walmart and other importing giant businesses?

BTW … that's only China, not yet India etc.

Let's educate ourselves by learning the facts the official source:
http://www.census.gov/foreign-trade/balance/c5700.html#2007

Want some whine with that cheese?? Screw CNN!

If you want the real data, go to http://www.bea.gov/. That will explain why CNN fails to exhibit factual journalism: The FACTS don't support their assumptions.

This is why we do not want enforced voting laws like Europe. Stupid people should not be allowed to vote. Forget the picture ID, an IQ test should be the requirement..

I can't believe the liberal media does not recognize the fact that the economy is doing just fine and focus only on the negative aspects of it. Every day there is only bad news being reported. The contradiction exists when the actual numbers are shown. It seems like news sources like CNN are determined to influence the psyche of the American people to vote democrat in the next election. To CNN and the rest of the drive-byes, the only way America must be is to the left.

I would like to see less biased on your news reporting.

Under President Clinton the media constantly informed the masses that this is greatest economy in the history of the United States. Under President Bush the economy is chirping along as well as the past decade yet you never hear a positive comment out of he main stream media. The economy has been solid since the Reagan era.

What a great article. And don't you just love how the "bad economy" mantra self perpetuates amongst those that want to believe it? I was reading the student newpaper published by my college alma mater (a Big Ten university) and recently read a number of student opinions about how "this is one of the worst economies we've seen". Huh? Where do they get this information? I don't know, probably by watching the Comedy Channel's Colbert and Stewart relentlessly bash the President and the state of the nation which is then echoed by these sorts of articles that report half (or less) of factual data. I guess if you repeat what you want to believe long enough you'll eventually convince yourself it's true.

TLR

What would it take for you to realize that not everyone views the world with your tunnel vision? Left-wing media is any article that you don't agree with. Are you ever wrong?

The answer to "why is CNN creating a false issue" can be answered by looking at the banner at the top of the web page:

Clinton News Network

(i.e., it helps Hillary)

The results of this poll reflect the constant grousing and pessemism progated by the left and mainstream media. I predict that global warming will suddenly be fixed once Hillary is elected.

A recession is inevitable, and could have been forseen. Housing was overbuilt, and terms of mortgages too generous. If one lost health insurance or a job, house could not be maintained. Also decline in dollar was forecast, and that meant a credit crunch. Growth in GDP did not greatly exceed growth in labor supply. Profits for businesses did not pass on to workers who are the ones who support the economy. Bush mismanaged economy just as he mismanaged Iraq.

The most telling element of this story is that it never says that we're NOT in a recession. Someone who doesn't know better would read this article and conclude that we ARE in a recession. I bet if you approached people on the street they would read this article and walk away thinking that 1) a recession is defined by a poll like this and therefor 2) we are in a recession.

What horrible reporting. But then, not too surprising considering it's reporting like this that likely led to the poll results in the first place.

Remember all the "Bush will be the first president to lose jobs during his administration" stories every time there was a new job loss report out? Funny how I haven't seen any stories since the job losses turned into gains.

Let’s see;

(1) Unemployment is about 5% nationally (although lower here in Florida);
(2) Record low interest rates still prevail;
(3) Stock market is soaring;
(4) You’re paying lower taxes than you did under President Clinton.

If you think the economy is bad now, wait until Queen…umm, I mean President Hillary is in office and she raises your taxes for income redistribution.

Guess what CNN, if you haven't noticed, people who aren't sheep or enjoy critical thinking took you to task for this purposeful and deceitful "story".

45 postings already and 43 GOTCHA!

What's it like getting you head handed to you by regular folks?

"In dollar denominated terms, we have been in a recession and things are getting worse. In fact, subracting the effects of devalued currency and inflation, the stock indexes are as low as in the 1980s."

Good thing I don't buy my eggs and milk in euros…

The poll measures how effective the media has been in convincing the public of something that is not true. The poll also shows that those who watch the leftist media are the least informed, have the least understanding of what a recession means, and what percentage considers media editorial comment as fact. Other observations include that this reveals how effective our public schools are at placing (socialist) indoctrination above education. I would also add that people who are this disconnected from reality end up poor in high percentages as the real world is nothing like their opinions would lead them to believe. This disconnect leaves them dazed and confused about how to climb the economic ladder. The media should be indicted for malpractice for giving the Kool-Aid to so many people, it is truly a disservice to those who bought into it.

Put the blame where it belongs. A 20 trillion not 20 billion hole in the housing market caused by greedy bankers, greedy real estate agents and greedy housing developers. But they will all declare bankruptcy and be back in business the next day.

This is poor journalism, but coming from a "Deputy Political Director" I would not expect good journalism.

We are not in a recession, based on the definition.

Globally (which is not how we define recession, but perhaps we should) we are not keeping up our normal pace.