While an overwhelming majority of Americans are familiar with online information-sharing network Twitter, a Pew Research Center poll released Friday showed that nearly half of Americans incorrectly think the government's bank bailout was enacted by President Barack Obama.
The Pew Research Center's latest News IQ Quiz showed that 47 percent incorrectly said that the Troubled Asset Relief Program was signed into law by Obama, while only 34 percent correctly said that the bailout was enacted under the Bush administration.
The poll results could be a troubling sign for Obama and his fellow Democrats, as voter anger about the bank bailouts could be a driving force in this November's elections and beyond.
Pew noted that Democrats were just as likely as Republicans or independents to incorrectly say the TARP program was enacted after Obama became president.
In another potentially troubling sign for the party in power, the poll showed that about a quarter of Americans estimate the unemployment rate at 15 or 20 percent, well above the actual 9.5 percent rate.
According to Pew, most Americans know that children born to illegal immigrants are automatically citizens and that Congress was able to pass a major health care reform bill this year, but only a fraction are able to identify the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court or the Prime Minister of Great Britain.
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June 19, 2026 16:46 ET Major central banks continued to dominate the economic news flow this week too, led by the Federal Reserve, as they announced their latest policy decisions. The Federal Reserve policy session was in focus as it was the first to be led by the new chief Kevin Warsh. In Europe, central banks of the U.K. and Switzerland announced their rate decisions. In Asia, the Bank of Japan drew attention for its policy moves, while data out of China threw some light on the state of the economy.