Americans Say They Don't Have a Voice Anymore, According to American Pulse(TM)

COLUMBUS, OH--(Marketwire - April 23, 2009) - 57.6% of Americans say they don't have a voice anymore and too much is being dictated out of Washington, according to the April American Pulse™ (N=4023). On the other hand, a quarter of participants (27.2%) say their voice is being heard, while 15.1% aren't sure. In a government with a Democratic stronghold, it's surprising that 42.8% of people who consider themselves of the Democratic Party don't think they are being heard on Capitol Hill. 74.5% of Republicans and 63.8% of Independents feel the same.

31.6% of Americans believe the U.S. Government controls their financial future and congressional leaders may want to hear this, because 43.4% of respondents feel they have lost control of their personal monetary prospects. 46.8% of Americans say they hold the key to their own financial future.

Aside from the flailing economy, another hot-button issue for President Obama is healthcare. Only 12.3% of Americans think he's going to fix the U.S. healthcare "problem" in four years, while 37% say the system will be headed in the right direction by 2012.

Verbatim posts on BIGresearch and Artafact's blog regarding if President Obama and congressional leaders can fix the healthcare "problem" in four years...

"Not a chance. At best they'll add more children's health insurance money into the system. As for adults, nope."

"Not completely. I believe that Obama and his teammates can change some things and make it better. It cannot happen in 4 years. You cannot change 50 plus years in 4 years."

"...I hope the President can fix it. My daughter is unemployed and was just diagnosed with cancer. Luckily she could get on our state's basic health program which has saved her life..."

To voice your opinion on 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. The use of the online blog as a listening post to develop the questions posed in the monthly American Pulse survey is a very effective use of both online qualitative and quantitative research. 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