February American Pulse™: Government Should Deal with Its
             Debt Issues Now, Taxes too High and Americans Addicted to Debt

        Other Concerns: Failure of Americans to Save More, Spend Less;
       Most Think Government Not Looking Out for Their Financial Interests

COLUMBUS, OH – 2/26/2008 – Now hear this elected officials, or those who are campaigning for office, most Americans are looking for help from Washington in the form of fiscal restraint by confronting national debt issues now rather than passing it on to future generations as 71.8% feel the Government should deal with debt issues immediately, according to the latest American Pulse™ Survey of 4,070 respondents. When dealing with debt issues, the Government may want to consider options other than raising taxes as 77.9% of Americans already believe their Federal taxes are too high.

In addition, an overwhelming majority (79.2%) believe Americans are addicted to debt. 77.4% say Americans should focus on savings to benefit their individual financial situations.
Other key findings include:

·         42.7% say their debt is too high…64% say their savings are too low.

·         68.6% strongly disagree or disagree with the statement: “The U.S. government is looking out for my financial interests.”

·         66.2% believe the media can stimulate a recession.

·         45.6% believe the U.S. is already in a recession…39.1% say the U.S. is not currently in a recession but will soon be in one.

·         50.2% would rather have Congress and the president work out long-term solutions to current economic challenges than get a rebate check.

·         60.7% blame problems in the housing market for the sluggish economy.

·         50.8% say they live paycheck to paycheck.

To view a complete report or to submit a question for future surveys: http://americanpulse.bigresearch.com.

About American Pulse™
The American Pulse™ Survey is collected online by BIGresearch every month exclusively utilizing Survey Sampling International’s (SSI) U.S. panel covering topics such as politics, religion, pop culture and the economy. Over 4,000 respondents participate, providing greater insights into how Americans really feel about issues they currently face. http://www.bigresearch.com.

About Survey Sampling International (SSI)
Survey Sampling International is the premier global provider of sampling solutions. Founded in 1977, SSI offers access to consumer and business-to-business respondents via Internet, telephone, mobile and other means; survey programming and hosting; and sampling consultation. SSI is the supplier of choice for more than 1,800 companies, including 46 of the top 50 marketing research agencies. Headquartered in Fairfield, CT, SSI maintains offices throughout North America, Europe and Asia. http://www.surveysampling.com

Contacts:
BIGresearch                                                     SSI
Chrissy Wissinger                                              Jason Kannon
chrissy@bigresearch.com                                   jasonk@keiler.com
614.846.0146                                                     860.674.3861