There is certainly evidence that Americans’ take on the national economy has become more positive in recent years. Although the month-to-month numbers vary, Gallup’s Economic Confidence Index has been as high over the past year as it has been since the end of the dot-com boom in the early 2000s. …
But, as Gallup contributor Lance Tarrance pointed out in his recent review, the currently positive sentiments about the general state of the national economy give Americans the latitude to focus on more personal issues — including for many their not-so-positive financial situations. Lance notes: “As the economy has improved during Trump’s presidency, Americans’ anxiety about most financial matters has not.” …
Presidential candidates approaching the looming 2020 election thus face an environment in which voters’ views of the national economy are generally positive — but also one in which nontrivial segments of the population remain negative, both nationally and about their personal economic situations. CONT.
Frank Newport, Gallup