Political Landscape

Advisors expect the U.S. political landscape to become more united in the next six months as the global political landscape becomes more volatile, according to the Independent Advisor Outlook Study conducted in January 2009.

SIX-MONTH OUTLOOK ON THE POLITICAL LANDSCAPE


Two-thirds of advisors think the domestic political landscape will be more united in the next six months, a major increase from previous waves.	Just under 40 percent of advisors think that the global political landscape will become more volatile in the next six months.

Q4: Which of the following best describes your perspective on the United States’ domestic political landscape during the next six months?
Q5: Which of the following best describes your perspective on the global political landscape during the next six months?
Base = All respondents; Jan ’07 = 1387; July ’07 = 1044; Jan ’08 = 1006; July ’08 = 1010; Jan ’09 = 1240

Fed Leadership

When asked their opinion of chairman Ben Bernanke's leadership of the Federal Reserve Board, 69 percent of advisors approved, 19 percent disapproved and 13 percent had no opinion. The approval rating declined slightly from 71 percent in June 2008, but increased over the 61 percent recorded in January 2008.

In both waves of the survey conducted during 2007, 80 percent of advisors approved of Bernanke's leadership.

APPROVAL FOR BERNANKE'S FRB LEADERSHIP

All Respondents

Economic Stimulus

When asked which components of President Obama's economic stimulus plan would be most beneficial, 75 percent of advisors cited tax incentives for businesses to create jobs while 65 percent supported funding for U.S. infrastructure improvements.

Half of the advisors surveyed supported a further reduction in home mortgage interest rates to help home buyers. Only 6 percent of those surveyed felt that expanding unemployment benefits to part-time workers would be most beneficial to the U.S. economy.

PROPOSED COMPONENTS OF PRESIDENT OBAMA'S ECONOMIC STIMULUS PLAN THAT WOULD BE MOST BENEFICIAL FOR U.S. ECONOMY