Forty-five percent of Americans say they recently made a special effort to buy products made in the United States. When asked why, these shoppers mainly cited patriotic or altruistic goals related to the national economy, including creating and keeping jobs in the U.S., rather than product-specific considerations such as quality, […] Read more »
Young Americans Most Positive About Direction of Finances
Younger Americans are significantly more optimistic about the direction of their personal finances than those who are older, with 73% of those aged 18 to 29 saying their financial situation is getting better, compared with 23% of those 65 and older. However, age makes relatively little difference in Americans’ views […] Read more »
Wealth Gap Among Races Widened Since Recession
Millions of Americans suffered a loss of wealth during the recession and the sluggish recovery that followed. But the last half-decade has proved far worse for black and Hispanic families than for white families, starkly widening the already large gulf in wealth between white Americans and most minority groups, according […] Read more »
Americans See Finances as Better, but Worse Than Pre-2008
Forty-five percent of Americans rate their personal financial situation as excellent or good, and 47% say their financial situation is getting better. These ratings are improved from previous points over the last several years, but have not yet returned to the levels found prior to the 2008 financial crisis. [cont.] […] Read more »
Economic Confidence Inches Up
The Gallup U.S. Economic Confidence Index was -14 last week, compared with -17 the prior week. The current score is six points below the five-year high of -8 reached in early February. [cont.] Alyssa Brown, Gallup Read more »
Consumer Comfort Reaches Five-Year High as Finances Heal
Consumer sentiment jumped last week to the highest level in more than five years as record stock prices and the rebound in housing made more Americans feel the expansion will be maintained. The Bloomberg Consumer Comfort Index climbed to minus 29.2 in the week ended April 14, the highest since […] Read more »