Economic Confidence in U.S. Matches Early Pandemic Low

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With inflation in the U.S. at its highest point since 1982, Americans’ confidence in the economy has dropped to where it was in April 2020, when nationwide shutdowns brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic plunged the nation into a recession.

Concern about the economy, as evidenced by the increasing percentage of Americans who mention an economic issue as the most important problem in the U.S., is at its highest point of the pandemic. Meanwhile, satisfaction with the country’s direction is lower than it has been since President Joe Biden’s inauguration in January. CONTINUED

Megan Brenan, Gallup

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Pass the potatoes and put down the phone: Families report text and email at dinner on the rise

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Dinnertime is still when families can connect with each other — but a rising number are also connected online during dinner. And that may be getting in the way.

Despite the bustle of the modern world, most Americans report that they dinner as a family frequently, and most say doing so brings their families closer together. But many parents report that electronic devices are a presence at the dinner table, and the percentage of parents who say there is emailing, texting, or phone use during dinner has doubled since 2009. CONTINUED

Fred Backus, CBS News

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Democrats Build Back Better Strategy Puts Democratic Incumbents in Jeopardy

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… For the last few weeks, as BBB negotiations stumbled along, and Pres. Biden’s job approval ratings continued to slide, Democrats I spoke to were frustrated, but convinced that they would be able to wrap up the legislation soon enough. Then, the thinking went, they’d spend 2022 talking about popular policy. Instead, it looks as if they will spend the early part of 2022 (continuing) to talk process. CONTINUED

Amy Walter, Cook Political Report with Amy Walter

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Biden’s economic ratings are worse than Carter’s

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President Joe Biden is struggling in the minds of the American public. While his approval rating is down on a slew of issues, his difficulties are perhaps most noticeable on the economy.

Biden now sports the lowest net economic rating of any president at this point through their first term since at least Jimmy Carter in 1977.

In the latest CNN/SSRS poll, Biden comes in with a 44% approval rating to 55% disapproval rating among registered voters on his economic performance. This makes for a -9 point net approval rating. The average of all polls taken in December is quite similar with Biden at -13 points on the economy. CONTINUED

Harry Enten, CNN

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Facts Alone Aren’t Going to Win Over the Unvaccinated. This Might.

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At this point in the pandemic, many Americans remain unvaccinated because they believe the coronavirus vaccine is unlikely to do them any good. They’re aware of the virus and the damage it can cause, but for any number of reasons, they simply don’t believe they should get a vaccine. …

Public health experts have tried many different methods to motivate behavior like vaccination. Our recent research shows even more clearly that providing additional information may not be one of the strongest tools. …

What interventions might work? Behavioral science research suggests that one of the best ways to motivate behavior is through incentives, either positive or negative. Incentives work because they do not force people to change their beliefs. CONTINUED

Anupam B. Jena & Christopher M. Worsham (Harvard Medical School) New York Times

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Many Latino Americans believe the Democratic and Republican parties take them for granted

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A new Axios-Ipsos Latino Poll in partnership with Telemundo finds that Latino Americans believe the Democratic Party cares about them more than the Republican Party. However, both parties are viewed similarly on key issues like the economy and crime.

The poll also finds support for more lenient immigration policy though differences exist based on country of origin and how long they or their family has lived in the U.S. CONTINUED

Ipsos

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