Why D.C. is so optimistic, cont’d
Yesterday, I wondered over a Gallup poll showing that residents of Washington, D.C., are vastly more optimistic about the economy than residents of any of the 50 states. We’re even more optimistic than North Dakotans, who have a 3.4 percent unemployment rate. Ex-Postie Alec MacGillis sends in a possible answer:
It’s demographics. I’ve wondered about this, too, in seeing similar numbers the past couple years, and figured out that while part of it of course is the relatively stronger local economy, an even bigger differentiating factor is the District’s large black population. In national surveys these past few years, African-Americans have had far higher rates of optimism about the economy and country, even though they’ve been hit harder than anyone. We can speculate about why that’s so — it might be Obama’s presidency, or it might be that they have been through hard times before and so are less likely to feel beaten down by the recession. But that’s what’s behind econ confidence figure — us being inside the recession-proof bubble, and a 50 percent black population.
Alec, by the way, is at the New Republic’s excellent campaign blog these days.
The Post Most: BusinessMost-viewed stories, videos and galleries int he past two hours
Blog Contributors
Ezra Klein
Ezra Klein is the editor of Wonkblog and a columnist at the Washington Post, as well as a contributor to MSNBC and Bloomberg. His work focuses on domestic and economic policymaking, as well as the political system that’s constantly screwing it up. He really likes graphs, and is on Twitter, Google+ and Facebook. E-mail him here.
Suzy Khimm
Suzy Khimm covers the budget, economic policy, and financial regulatory reform. Before coming to Washington, she was based in Brazil and Southeast Asia, where she wrote for the Economist, Slate, and the Wall Street Journal Asia. Follow her on Twitter here, and email her here.
Sarah Kliff
Sarah Kliff covers health policy, focusing on Medicare, Medicaid and the health reform law. She tries to fit in some reproductive health and education policy coverage, too, alongside an occasional hockey reference. Her work has appeared in Newsweek, Politico, and the BBC. She is on Twitter and Facebook.
Brad Plumer
Brad Plumer is a reporter focusing on energy and environmental issues. He was previously an associate editor at The New Republic. Follow him on Twitter. Email him here.
