Americans’ pessimism about U.S. economic conditions has eased slightly, although Gallup’s Economic Confidence Index remains in negative territory. An eight-point increase to -13 this month puts the index at its best reading since November. CONTINUED Megan Brenan, Gallup Read more »
Conference Board Consumer Confidence Index Improved in February
The Conference Board Consumer Confidence Index® improved again in February, after increasing in January. The Index now stands at 91.3 (1985=100), up from 88.9 in January. … “After three months of consecutive declines in the Present Situation Index, consumers’ assessment of current conditions improved in February,” said Lynn Franco, Senior […] Read more »
Americans still need a lifeline despite trillions in coronavirus aid
Americas’ financial desperation can be seen in the soaring demand for food assistance. AP Photo/John Minchillo Mary G. Findling, Harvard University; John M. Benson, Harvard University, and Robert J. Blendon, Harvard University As Congress prepares another injection of COVID-19 aid for businesses and individuals, there’s been debate about whether it’s […] Read more »
Can Democrats Win on the Economy?
Over the last couple of weeks, we’ve heard much chatter about how Democrats are applying lessons learned from the 2009 stimulus package to crafting the $1.9T COVID relief plan. Overall, most Democrats agree that they didn’t pump enough money into the economy, which meant a longer and less robust recovery. […] Read more »
The Implications of COVID-19 for Mental Health and Substance Use
The COVID-19 pandemic and the resulting economic recession have negatively affected many people’s mental health and created new barriers for people already suffering from mental illness and substance use disorders. During the pandemic, about 4 in 10 adults in the U.S. have reported symptoms of anxiety or depressive disorder, a […] Read more »
Large bipartisan majority of Americans favor more COVID economic relief
A very large and bipartisan majority of Americans would support congressional passage of a new stimulus bill to help those impacted by the pandemic, and many would prefer that it receive bipartisan support in Congress, too. Meanwhile, a majority give President Joe Biden good marks for his handling of the […] Read more »