USA: +1 415 256 4347 
Sign in
Introduction
The purpose of this paper is to highlight the ways in which people experience the current recession. According to Cowan, the roots of a recession and its true starting point actually rest in the several quarters of positive but slowing growth before the recession cycle really begins (29). Veenhoven notes that while the “two-quarter” definition is accepted globally, many economists have trouble supporting it completely as it does not consider other important economic change variables (57). The group under study consists of 5 people aged between 25 and 35 years, of seemingly different socio-economic statuses. These people were randomly selected and electronic survey questions modeled for them to answer with regard to the current economic recession. The main finding of this study was that as a result of the current recession, people in the US have to encounter such problems as housing price declines, high unemployment levels, absence of business expansion, and stock market losses.
Methods
The electronic survey questions were modeled closely in order to ensure that survey data would be comparable to the greatest possible extent. The survey was conducted in five different people. Therefore questions about experience in “last year”, “this year” or “next year” may be interpreted quite differently. In addition, in this economic climate, this economic period may mean a world of difference for organizations’ experiences and projections. However, there are several issues of direct comparison. There are also substantial differences in the profile of the two survey cohorts. The survey cohort included individuals; target on organizations did not work out as planned because of random sampling problems. Therefore, the researcher stuck to a individuals, leaving out organizations.
The interviewer used structured interviews with the following questions acting as the guideline on the direction of questioning:
1. What are the primary impacts you are experiencing now as a result of the economic recession?
2. What do you anticipate to be the major impact of recession in the next two to three years?
4. Have you begun to think about longer-term adjustments? If so, what are the areas in which you are focusing your planning? How are you working differently?
5 Are you coordinating your planning with other cultural organizations or sharing information with others on a regular basis? Are these partnerships shifting?
6. Are there “key indicators” you are tracking that will allow you to gauge the impact of the downturn on your organization?
7. Which areas of social setting do you think have been adversely affected by the current economic recession?
8. Do you expect any changes in spending culture and style of life?
9. How are you communicating changes with your stakeholders (board, audiences, funders, media partners, etc.)?
Data analysis
Jack, one of the respondents, the recession affected him in such a way that he was no longer able to monitor hi states economic cycle. The interview with Jack took place in his two-bedroom rented house in New York, and it lasted for 30 minutes. He felt financially insecure since anxiety was in everybody’s psyche. ‘Try to watch the news and there is never a day when you won’t hear something about the recession’, For Jack, the recession is scary and it imposes restraints on the way he conducts his monthly budget. Jack was also unable to afford to buy enough meals and new clothes during the year. He did not have enough money to spend on big expenses such as a new house or a new car.
Jane, on her part, the recession had cultural and social effects. The interview with her took place at a park in downtown New York, and it lasted for 25 minutes. For her, the recession was a social and cultural situation as much as it was also an economic one. The crisis led her to enact changes in different areas her, ranging from entertainment habits to health. For example, with regard to entertainment, when a job became harder to find or less lucrative, she spent more time on self-improvement and relatively inexpensive amusements. She resorted to spending less on expensive leisure activities.
Jane was among the poorer section of the population that suffered the most pain. Also, in terms of cultural influence, it may well be the rich who lose the most in the current crisis. This downturn is bringing a larger-than-usual decline in consumption by the wealthy. For Jane who sometimes used to visit popular culture’s catering standards dropped significantly, making her angry. She attributed this decline to the economic downturn. She was convinced that ‘we’ can expect a shift away from the lionizing of fancy restaurants, for example, and toward more use of public cafes. Such changes tend to occur in downturn areas, but this time they may be especially pronounced in Jane’s view.
Peter was pessimistic when he said that in today’s context, we are also suffering as a result of fear and anxiety for the rather dubious consolation of having some interesting memories for the distant future. The interview with Jack took place outside his now-closed candy shop in the lower Manhattan area, New York, and it lasted for 55 minutes. For him, the most significant negative effect took the form of low stock returns. A generation that grows up in a period of low stock returns is likely to take an unusually cautious approach to investing, even decades later, he said. Similarly, a generation that grows up with high inflation will be more cautious about buying bonds decades later. In other words, today’s teenagers stand less chance of making foolish decisions in the stock market down the road. They are likely to forgo some good business opportunities, but also to make fewer mistakes.
Mary, on the other hand, was forced to make many sacrifices so as to sustain her family’s needs. Mary, a supervisor, said that the social changes may well be the next big story of this recession. She also insisted that the shrinking trend of resources of households has direct implication on cultural habits and consumption.
Julius was forced to stop going to theaters, symphony orchestras, and dance groups as well as in many places in Europe. I met him at his brother’s apartment in Harlem for the 40-minute interview; he lives there with his brother, and is currently unemployed. He also noted that cruelly, in America, many funding sources for people working in theaters had run dry. ‘Donations and endowments sometimes shrunk overnight, besides reduced programs and seasons putting off productions’. Moreover, Julius added, serious cuts from pay, benefits, and pensions, and artist layoffs being witnessed in most arts institutions in the USA. Nonetheless, said Julius, ‘decreased cultural budgets are foreseen in probably the majority of federal states and provinces festivals heavily relying on sponsors were badly hit’.
Discussion
From the structured interviews with the five participants I identified a striking similarity in the way they all understood the research question, and, subsequently, their way of answering it. They all seemed to understand an economic recession to be is primarily an issue that needs to be addressed from an economic perspective. They did not drag issues of culture into the discussion. However, they did not delve deep into technical aspects of economics, such as the maintenance of delicate balance between money supply, interest rates, and inflation, perhaps a reflection of a layman’s perspective on economic issues on their part. They understood inflation is the rise in the prices of goods and services over a period of time. Those in business such as Julius kept mentioning things to do with cutting costs, derail unneeded expenditures, and a decline of GDP. The interviewees also seemed to understand that the current high unemployment rate has been exacerbated by the economic recession. It was clear, also, that the respondents were not spending money as much as they used to before the economic recession set in.
The results of this study seem to exemplify what I have already learnt in this course in many ways. First the findings relate to various anthropological theories and topics that have already been covered in the course, for example the one relating to ethnography of societies. By adopting an ethnographical approach to studying anthropology, it is possible to focus on any aspects of society and create a deeper understanding of cultural dynamics by carrying out a survey (Hoellerer 39).
However, just like any other study, an ethnographical study is bound to have limitations (Wilson 591). For instance, not only does the scant data present an opaque picture of the nature of the effects of the economic crisis on culture, it also creates the impression that little can be deciphered about future trends. Nevertheless, the data says a lot about what has changed for good, and what is to be definitely modified with regard to culture, its role in society, and its manifestations.
As Donohue-White notes, it is clear that there is need to adapt our thinking in response to the changing economic environment (129). There is need for the implications of the recession to be analyzed in cultural terms. Individual strategies of operations need to be put in place in response to changes in people’s cultural lives (Veenhoven 201). This will enable people know what to reinforce, what to forget, what to modify in their economic activities (Erickson 57). They will also know what to argue for and what to argue against when enforcing cultural policies.
Conclusion
In summary, people in the US experience the economic recession in various ways.These people have had to contend with issues such as high unemployment levels, housing price declines, stock market losses, and the absence of business expansion. They have witnessed an economy in a state of decline, and they have had to resort to modest lifestyles so as to survive the bad times. This situation is of great relevant from an anthropological perspective. In this regard, it is clear that as a result of these changes, a fundamental change has taken place in the US cultural environment. However, as time goes on, many people hope that the recession will not lead to a permanent cultural disruption.
References
Cowan, Jane. Culture and rights: anthropological perspectives, New York: Free Press 2001.
Donohue-White, Patricia. Human nature and the discipline of economics: personalist anthropology and economic methodology, New York: Foundation Press, 2010.
Erickson, Ken. Why We Love the Recession … Sort Of, Anthropology News, 50.7 (2009): 31-62.
Hoellerer, Nicole. “The Use of Qualitative and Ethnographic Research to enhance the measurement and Operationalisation of Gross National Happiness”, Journal of Bhutan Studies, 2.5 (2009): 26-54.
Veenhoven, Richie. Happy Life Years: A measure of Gross National Happiness, London: Heinemann, 2005.
Wilson, Tamar. “Economic Crisis and the Decline of Remittances to Mexico”, Anthropological Quarterly, 82.2 (2009): 587-597.
