Helen Hedger
Speech therapist, 26 (U.K.)
If I go back to my home country I think things with money will be very tight, but I may be in a better situation than friends who own their homes and/or have families.

Mariko Fukuda
Book import company, 24
None of my friends are planning on getting married soon, so we don't need to worry. If firms raised salaries everyone would buy more and the economy would improve.

Yutaka Hatano
Advertising editor, 36
I'm worried because I've been investing in stocks and their value is going down. Business needs to make an effort to help us, supported by the government.

Tomomi Kambayashi
Office worker, 28
I'm concerned about a recession. Commodity prices are increasing but wages are pretty much unchanged. We have less money to spend and the future doesn't look good.

Mike Cadman
Teacher, 39 (Canadian)
I arrived here during the Asian crisis, and things got better after that, so I'm not worried. When the U.S. elects a new leader, maybe they can fix things there, helping us all.

Lee Nguyen
Pharmacist, 24 (Australian)
Health products are always in demand, so I'm not too worried. Perhaps the economic troubles will correct house prices, which were getting out of control.