Great Expectations: An Interview-Based Pilot Study

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Abstract

I examine the impact of the Great Recession on American college graduates entering the labor market during and shortly after the crisis (2008–2011). In this paper, I provide an intimate glimpse into the pain, anger, and distress of those who sense they have been wronged by a system that enabled it. Previous studies have researched the long-term economic impacts on Americans, such as diminished credit scores, foreclosures, and bankruptcies. I seek to further explore the depth of this crisis by analyzing how people interpret their past experiences of financial instability in relation to their current socio-economic status using semi-structured interview data. How has the recession been internalized? Is there a residual effect of the recession on aspects of their lives and political views? I am interested in how people articulate their experiences of financial instability and loss (whether job, time, or opportunity-wise) a decade later when on paper, they appear to have succeeded in securing meaningful jobs, started families, paid off debts, and overall are leading relatively comfortable lives.

Author

• Anna Maria Bokun, University of Minnesota