Pew Research Center Staff

About four-in-ten Americans (41%) still rate their personal financial situation as excellent or good.

Many Americans are delaying or cancelling spending, including nearly six-in-ten who have cut back on vacation spending.

Fully 64% of Americans say jobs are difficult to find where they live.

A sizeable plurality (47%) says Obama is the candidate best able to deal with the problems in financial institutions and markets.

Nearly eight-in-ten (79%) Americans say it is more difficult now than five years ago for people in the middle class to maintain their standard of living.

Out of 24 countries surveyed, Americans (53%) are the least supportive of international trade.

McCain leads among voters ages 65 and older.

Half of registered voters choose Obama on taxes.

Views of Obama are more favorable than were opinions of John Kerry at a comparable time in the 2004 election cycle.

Virtually no Democrats (2%) currently rate the nation’s economy as good or excellent, but Republicans are scarcely more upbeat.