In the days leading up to the 2012 election, journalism students at the University of Connecticut fanned out across the Storrs community to ask people whether they consider themselves better off today than four years ago and how that might impact their presidential vote.
The lagging U.S. economy and unemployment are the most overriding concerns for Americans this election year, according to the Gallup Poll.
Connecticut's unemployment rate jumped during the summer months of 2012, outpacing even the national average. The most recent statistics from the state Department of Labor put Connecticut's jobless rate at 8.9 percent.
View the photo gallery to see excerpts from the students' interviews.
This story was reported by Monisha Rao, Mike Livingston, Lauren Winer, Anthony Glaser, Kimberly Murray, Elizabeth Bowling, Kyle Campbell, Molly Ross, Chynna Davis, Taylor Fountain and Matt Sasso. It was produced and edited by Marie K. Shanahan, an assistant journalism professor at the University of Connecticut.
