American Pulse(TM): Workers Plan to Save or Pay Down Debt With Extra Money From Stimulus

COLUMBUS, OH--(Marketwire - March 3, 2009) - Almost thirty percent of Americans say the stimulus may not stimulate them to spend and instead will save their extra cash, according to the February American Pulse™ (N=4910). 24% will put it towards credit card bills and 20.3% will pay down installment loans.

When it comes to the stimulus bill, close to two-thirds (66.1%) don't believe that Congress read and understood the close to 1,100 pages before they voted on it. Further, 47.3% say that members of Congress used it to promote their own agendas.

Americans are split on whether they think the stimulus bill will do more harm or more good. 31.5% say more harm, while 32.5% say more good in the long run. Over half (56%) think the US will never again have a balanced budget given recent bailouts and stimulus spending.

Americans' 401k plans have taken a wallop, leaving many to say "bye-bye" to dreams of retirement. 68.4% of workers feel their chances at ever being able to retire are less than 50%. 28.1% say their odds are at 0%.

All-in-all Americans are still laughing, even with a lot on their minds. 67.1% say they laugh regularly, while 27.8% say they laugh occasionally. 79.9% turn to their friends for a good laugh, 69.1% watch TV and 48.6% go online for comedic relief. Laughter may just be the best medicine as people ride out the rocky economy.

Concurrently, BIGresearch and Artafact have launched a blog to allow survey respondents to talk further on topical issues such as the economy and stimulus bill. Bloggers' comments range from "in God we trust, but not the Government" to "living off the land and working until they can't walk anymore." To visit the BIGresearch Blog: http://peoplevoice.ning.com/

For complimentary findings: http://americanpulse.bigresearch.com.

About American Pulse™

The American Pulse™ Survey is collected online by BIGresearch every month exclusively utilizing Survey Sampling International's (SSI) U.S. panel covering topics such as politics, pop culture and the economy. Over 4,000 respondents participate, providing greater insights into how Americans really feel about issues they currently face. http://www.bigresearch.com

About Artafact

For researchers who need a quick and easy solution for conducting online focus groups, Artafact is a virtual focus group facility that replicates a traditional focus group in a collaborative online environment. Artafact bulletin boards support consumer generated content, allowing respondents to create and manage discussion threads. More information is available at www.artafact.com.

About Survey Sampling International (SSI)

Survey Sampling International is the premier global provider of sampling solutions for survey research. SSI offers access to more than 6 million consumer and business-to-business research respondents in 54 countries via Internet, telephone, and mobile. Additional client services include custom profiling, survey programming and hosting, data processing, sampling consulting, and survey optimization. SSI serves more than 1,800 marketing research clients, including nearly three-quarters of the top researchers worldwide. Founded in 1977, SSI has an international staff of 400 people representing 50 countries and 36 languages. The company is based in Shelton, CT with 14 additional offices worldwide. http://www.surveysampling.com

Contact Information: Contacts: BIGresearch Chrissy Wissinger 614.846.0146 SSI Diane Urso 203.567.7236