It'll Take More than Talk Of Recession to Subdue Consumers' Animal Spirits takes

Hailed as heroes of the late lamented boom, free-spending consumers are now being fitted out for the role of villain. If they suddenly shut their wallets, economists fear, these people could turn a mild downturn into a full-fledged recession. Will fears of unemployment keep consumers from rallying anew to the retail battlements? A couple of surveys (conducted early this month) shed light on the matter. Asked by Fox News/Opinion Dynamics to rate the odds that “you or someone in your family will lose their job this year,” a majority of the respondents said it’s “not very likely”(33 percent) or “not at all likely” (39 percent).