The recent government shutdown and confrontation over the federal debt ceiling gained the Republicans nothing, at best – and may have cost them politically as a party. But it slowed the economy and undermined confidence in public finances in a way that will have a significant negative impact on future […] Read more »
Post-shutdown, Congress disapproval at all-time high
The recent government shutdown and the debate over raising the debt ceiling have taken their toll on Americans’ perceptions of the legislative branch overall. In this poll conducted after the 16-day government shutdown ended, 85 percent of Americans disapprove of the way Congress does its job – the highest percentage […] Read more »
Economic Confidence Improves After Fiscal Deal
Americans’ confidence in the U.S. economy appeared to be improving after the partial government shutdown ended Thursday and lawmakers reached an agreement to avoid defaulting on the nation’s debt. Gallup’s Economic Confidence Index averaged -36 last week, up from -39 the prior week. This marks the first time economic confidence […] Read more »
The American People: Winners or Losers or Both?
A number of our elected representatives have somberly proclaimed that there are no winners from the recent government shutdown and near-default. These utterances have not prevented pundits from weighing in with various lists of “winners” and “losers” anyway. In many instances, of course, it takes a significant period of time […] Read more »
U.S. Economic Confidence Tumbled During Shutdown
Gallup Editor-in-Chef Frank Newport discusses the recent drop in the Gallup’s U.S. Economic Confidence Index to –39 during the week of Oct. 7-13 — the lowest average so far in 2013. Gallup Read more »
Consumers’ Outlook for U.S. Economy Plunges to Two-Year Low
Americans in October were the most pessimistic about the nation’s economic prospects in almost two years as concern mounted that continued political gridlock will hurt the expansion. The monthly Bloomberg Consumer Comfort Index expectations gauge plunged to minus 31, the lowest level since November 2011, from minus 9 in September, […] Read more »