Consumer confidence was little changed last week even as the government’s partial shutdown and the prospect of a default made Americans less optimistic about the economy. The Bloomberg Consumer Comfort Index retreated to minus 29.7 in the week ended Oct. 6 from minus 29.4. The decrease was within the margin of […] Read more »
Dysfunctional Gov’t Surpasses Economy as Top U.S. Problem
Americans are now more likely to name dysfunctional government as the most important problem facing the country than to name any other specific problem. Thirty-three percent of Americans cite dissatisfaction with government and elected representatives as the nation’s top issue, the highest such percentage in Gallup’s trend dating back to […] Read more »
Political Responses to the Crash
… A just-published study by sociologists Clem Brooks and Jeff Manza adds to the evidence that polarization in the general public is increasing. It also has an interesting message about whether and how reality – in this case, the economic crash in late 2008 – affects Americans’ views on government […] Read more »
60% have felt shutdown’s impact as worries about the country grow
There are many Americans who have seen an impact of the government shutdown, though it may not have touched them personally. In the latest Economist/YouGov Poll 60% either have been personally affected by furloughs, government closures, or had an impact on their business, or know someone to whom this has […] Read more »
Weekly Drop in U.S. Economic Confidence Largest Since ’08
Americans’ confidence in the economy has deteriorated more in the past week during the partial government shutdown than in any week since Lehman Brothers collapsed on Sept. 15, 2008, which triggered a global economic crisis. Gallup’s Economic Confidence Index tumbled 12 points to -34 last week, the second-largest weekly decline […] Read more »
Americans’ Spending Reports Retreat After August Surge
Americans’ self-reports of daily spending averaged $84 throughout September, down sharply from August’s $95, and the lowest monthly figure since February. The August average had been the highest in any month in five years. [cont.] Jeffrey M. Jones, Gallup Read more »