Forty percent of Americans regard “the economic power of China” as a critical threat to the vital interests of the U.S., down from 52% in both 2013 and 2014. Since last year, Americans have shifted more toward viewing China’s economic power as an important but not a critical threat, or […] Read more »
What Is ‘Middle-Class Economics’?
An awkward truth for politicians looking to help the middle class is that there’s much less the government can do for them than for the poor. So, the president has picked an opportune time to set his mantra to “middle-class economics”: A time when middle-class economic fortunes are already improving […] Read more »
Conference Board Consumer Confidence Index Declines
The Conference Board Consumer Confidence Index®, which had increased in January, declined in February. The Index now stands at 96.4 (1985=100), down from 103.8 in January. CONT. Conference Board Read more »
U.S. Economic Confidence Index Back in Negative Territory
Gallup’s U.S. Economic Confidence Index fell to an average of -2 for the week ending Feb. 22. This is the first time the index has had a negative weekly average since late December. Prior to that, the index had consistently been in negative territory since Gallup began tracking it daily […] Read more »
Economic Recovery Under Obama Creates Quandaries for 2016 Race
… Among Democrats, there are divisions over the degree to which Hillary Rodham Clinton, considered their leading contender, should praise the recovery and run on Mr. Obama’s stewardship of the economy. … If Democrats are grappling with how best to hail the resurgent economy while acknowledging its underlying difficulties, Republicans […] Read more »
The Impact of a Possible Department of Homeland Security Shutdown on Public Opinion
One of many questions that arises in contemplation of a pending and potential shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security is the impact this would have on public opinion. … This is the potential shutdown of a small portion of the federal government, rather than the entire government as happened […] Read more »