August 19, 2009
"In its annual Work and Education poll, Gallup asks Americans to rate each of 25 major businesses and industries as positive, negative, or neutral. This year's update, conducted Aug. 6-9, finds that many industries that took big image hits in last year's poll have recovered this year. For example, the grocery industry's 15-point gain in positive ratings nearly wipes out the 17-point decline it suffered in 2008, which was perhaps a response to rising food prices. The airline, travel, and oil and gas industries erased their 2008 losses -- likely due to record-high fuel prices in 2008 -- while the real estate, restaurant, and retail industries also rebounded significantly from the steep drops they experienced last year."