Half of U.S. financial executives say the current economic climate is the worst they've seen in their careers, according to a new poll from Condé Nast Portfolio.
 
The poll, conducted in early October of top finance executives from across the country, shows 77 percent of executives in the sector are convinced their industry is in a state of crisis. More than half—56 percent—say the economy is in a significant recession, and 50 percent say the economy is the worst they've encountered. ( See an interactive feature of the data.)
 
In terms of the presidential election, neither Barack Obama nor John McCain gets a clear vote of confidence from finance executives: 18 percent have a lot of confidence in Obama's approach to dealing with the country's economic problems, while only 8 percent have a lot of confidence in McCain's approach to the same issues; 42 percent have hardly any confidence in Obama, while 24 percent have hardly any in McCain.
 
The poll, conducted for the magazine by Hart Research Associates, is the first major survey of financial executives since the Wall Street crisis began six weeks ago. Full results of the poll will be published in the December issue of Condé Nast Portfolio.
 
Asked for their views of the government's recent moves to revive the economy, a quarter of finance executives view the bailout as simply a way to reward companies and C.E.O.'s for bad behavior. A third blame the crisis on bad business decisions by financial firms.
 
More than a third of the 402 executives polled are worried about their own financial situation and 44 percent think there's a chance they could lose their job in the next year.


Please note: All results are shown as percentages unless otherwise stated.

1a. In which part of the financial sector do you currently work?

1b. Which one of the following best describes your current job title?