Pew Research Poll: More Americans Hearing Good News About Jobs

For the first time since the recession ended in 2009, more Americans say they’re hearing good news about the job situation.

Twenty-eight percent said they’re hearing “mostly good” news compared to 22 percent who reported hearing “mostly bad” news, according to a Pew Research poll released on Tuesday. Forty-seven percent of respondents said they’re hearing a mix of both.

Attitudes have shifted rapidly: Last year, only 12 percent of people told pollsters they were hearing good news, compared to 42 percent who said the opposite.

The improved public perception comes amid solid job growth. In 2014, unemployment fell from close to 7 percent to 5.6 percent. On the other hand, wages have continued to stagnate.

About a third of Democrats told Pew they’re hearing good news about the economy; 12 percent of Republicans said the same, up 10 percent from last year. The liberal media watchdog group Media Matters recently reported that total economic coverage declined overall among top broadcasters during the second half of 2014.

The survey was conducted from February 5-8, and has a 3.6 percent margin of error.