Local television news programs are being blamed for leaving Americans uninformed about how good things really are.

Despite a booming economy, millions of new jobs being created and crime on the decline, many Americans remain unaware of the country's progress, according to a Harris Interactive poll.

• Sixty percent of the 1,015 Americans questioned in early June realized the economy is growing -- but only 39 percent said that it is growing quickly.

• While 65 percent realized that the economy is creating new jobs, only 15 percent recognized that several million jobs are created each year.

• As for violent crime, only 3 percent believed that rates have been "decreasing a lot," with 59 percent holding the view that crime is "increasing a lot."

• Only 33 percent identified that teen-pregnancy rates are at their lowest since 1986.

The poll blamed these misperceptions on the public's dependence on local television news programs -- with their preponderance of vivid crime stories, which are often featured first.

Source: Teresa Joerger, "Times Better than U.S. Believes," Washington Times, June 15, 2000.