What's right for me and what's right for the country

Tuesday, 24 February 2009 23:50 | Written by Graham Young

In January awareness of the global financial crisis was quite widespread, which seems to have resulted in a decline in satisfaction with the direction in which the country is heading.

This decline is not reflected in respondents' views of the direction of their own life.

This may reflect the fact that our respondents tend to come from a demographic which is less exposed to economic pressure, or that perceptions of what might happen to other people are more severe than perceptions of what might happen to respondents themselves.

As a rule in market research respondents' perceptions of what others think are no better than anyone else's guesses, so it could be that while everyone thinks others are going to suffer, in the area where they have real expertise - what might happen to them - things are not as bad. Suggesting that concerns about the financial crisis may be overblown.

The list below ranks concerns for personal and national direction. There is one significant difference - respondents see the government having a big impact on national direction, but little on their own. They are also more worried about employment as it affects them, rather than the nation.