UTICA, New York - Twenty-seven percent of U.S. adults say they or a family member has lost a job in the past year, and 59% of the unemployed have been out of work for more than a year. Among those with jobs, 23% are earning less than they did in their previous employment.
These are among the results of a Zogby Interactive survey of 2,471 U.S. adults conducted from March 17-19, 2010. The poll's margin of error is +/- 2.0 percentage points. Margins of error are higher in sub-groups. Main findings include:
Job Losses
Job losses in the past year have struck people across all demographic groups. Overall, 27% report having lost a job in that time, and that includes 17% of people with household incomes of more than $100,000 and 26% of people with college degrees. Those with household incomes of less than $35,000 reported job loss at 41%.
The Unemployed
* 59% have been out of work for more than one year, and 58% are no longer actively seeking a job.
* When asked how long it will be until they believe they will find work, just 14% thought it would take less than three months, and 20% expected to wait more than a year. The largest number, 41%, were not sure.
* 72% of the unemployed say they would take a job for which they are overqualified.
How Those With Jobs Are Doing
* 23% are working in jobs that pay less than their previous job. There was no difference in this rate between those with or without college degrees. The percentage is greatest among those in households earning less than $50,000 annually (34%), and lowest at 16% for those earning more than $100,000.
* 35% say they are overqualified for their current job. Among the First GlobalTM generation born since 1979, 45% say they are overqualified. Unmarried males (50%) also reported a significantly higher rate on this question. As for annual household income, 53% of those making $50,000 or less say they are overqualified, but so were 27% of those making more than $100,000.
* 86% are satisfied with their current job. Satisfaction levels do rise with income, but 79% of those in households earning $50,000 or less are satisfied.
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