Terry Jones of Issues and Insights writes about Americans’ perceptions of the major players in current economic conditions.
Both online and print media are full of talk about an economic recession, one that’s either already here or ready to hit. How much of the recession angst is driven by the media? Are Americans worried about a recession now, and if so, who will get the blame? The I&I/TIPP Poll sought answers to these questions in its April survey.
The national online poll, taken by 1,452 adults from March 26 to March 28, first asked this:
“A recession is traditionally defined as two consecutive quarters of negative economic growth. In 2022, this happened — but many in the media denied it was a recession under President Biden. Was the media justified or not?”
Among those taking the poll, 31% responded “Yes, other factors meant it wasn’t truly a recession,” while 34% selected “No, they covered for Biden despite meeting the definition.” A significant number — 23% — answered “I didn’t follow it closely,” while 10% said the were “Not sure.”
But, as usual, political affiliation (a key determinant in past surveys of how people feel about media bias overall) shows significant differences.
Among Democrats, 43% said the Biden downturn wasn’t a recession, while just 28% of Republicans and 22% of independents agreed. Meanwhile, only 18% of Democrats felt the media “covered” for Biden, versus 51% of Republicans and 35% of independents.
I&I/TIPP then asked a follow-up question related to the current economy under President Trump:
“Some in the media are now calling the economy a recession under Trump, even before two quarters of negative growth. Do you think this coverage is fair or not?”
This time, 41% overall responded “Yes – economic signs justify the concern,” while only 32% said “No – they’re rushing to declare a recession to hurt Trump.” Another 12% said, “The media always spin economic news.” And 16% were not sure.
