COLUMBUS, OH--(Marketwire - October 8, 2009) - 55.6% of Americans say the economic stimulus package is not working, according to the latest American Pulse Survey of 5,024 Americans. Further, the failing economy is seen as the number one threat to American's rights as citizens (28.5% say so), above proposed healthcare reform (15%), Social Security running out of money (14.7%) and even terrorism (11.3%).

It appears that most are watching the unemployment levels to signal the end of the recession, a sentiment echoed across all political parties. Americans, however, aren't as likely to view a declaration by either Ben Bernanke or President Obama as a sign that the recession is over.

What sign do you believe will best demonstrate to you that the recession is
 over?

                           Adults 18+  Republicans  Democrats  Independents
The Federal Reserve          3.5%         4.0%        4.6%         2.4%
Chairman, Ben Bernanke,
declares it over

Wall Street stock indexes    8.9%        10.5%        8.6%         7.3%
show it's over

Unemployment levels decline 72.1%        74.7%       72.9%        74.1%

President Obama says it's    4.7%         1.8%        6.4%         4.7%
over

Other                       10.7%         9.0%        7.5%        11.5%

Source: BIGresearch, American Pulse - Oct 09

Worries about whether Social Security will be there when they retire and potential tax increases are also weighing on the minds of weary consumers. Almost half (46.5%) of those who qualify believe Social Security will not be there for them when they retire, 16.5% say it will be and 37% aren't sure. 68.6% think they will see tax hikes in the next 3 years to pay for proposed legislation such as healthcare reform and Cap and Trade, 11.5% say taxes will not increase and 19.9% don't know.

On the international front, 28.4% of Americans believe directly targeting al-Qaida fighters is the right strategy for Afghanistan, 23.1% say pull troops out completely and 18.4% say send in thousands more. Meanwhile, the dialogue between the U.S. and Iran in Geneva did not lessen concerns about Iran's nuclear capabilities for 66% of Americans, 12.9% say it did (21.1% weren't concerned prior to the talks). 72.2% believe it is not very/not at all likely that Iran will suspend their uranium enrichment program.

For the full complimentary report (segments include age, income, gender and political party): 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 Artafact 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 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