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American Satisfactionmises.org/power-market/american-satisfaction
226 sats \ 3 comments \ @Undisciplined 11 Feb Politics_And_Law
By Mark Thornton
Americans are far more satisfied with the way things are going in their own life than with the US in general. Let’s take a look at the latest polling results on the reported satisfaction of Americans and see how things actually line up.
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41 sats \ 2 replies \ @SimpleStacker 11 Feb
IMO, my best explanation of this is that it reflects a high average standard of living but also a very high volatility.
Most people are satisfied now, because most haven't been hit by a disaster. But a lot of us feel like disaster could hit any time (fires, medical bills, hurricanes, layoffs, crime, etc etc). And that leads to a dissatisfaction with the macro state of things.
I certainly this way, living in California. I'm fortunate to not have been affected by the fires, but if I had lived just 15 miles northwest, things could be very different. Plus, an unanticipated medical event could easily bankrupt anyone... even someone solidly in the middle class.
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30 sats \ 1 reply \ @Undisciplined OP 11 Feb
That's a good point.
I lean towards people being overly anxious about their situation, because social media and the corporate press are intentionally designed to scare the shit out of everyone.
That's basically the same as your volatility point, since I'm sure we both see it as people responding to perceived volatility/risk, regardless of whether those perceptions are accurate or not.
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27 sats \ 0 replies \ @SimpleStacker 11 Feb
Yeah, the perceived volatility could be worse than the actual. In fact, that's even more likely than not. I read too much doomer stuff, after all.
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