On Sept. 15, 2008, the collapse of Lehman Brothers, one of the nation’s leading banking institutions, triggered not only a global economic contraction, but a sharp downturn in Americans’ confidence in the economy on many levels. Americans’ views have since bounced back on certain Gallup core economic measures, even exceeding […] Read more »
Syria Emerges as a Top Problem, but Trails Economy
As the prospect for armed U.S. intervention looms, 8% of Americans now believe the “situation in Syria” is the most important problem facing the U.S., marking the first time Syria has made the list. Nonetheless, the economy in general remains the No. 1 U.S. problem according to Americans, followed by […] Read more »
U.S. Economic Confidence Slump Eases
Gallup’s U.S. Economic Confidence Index registered -16 last week, a slight improvement from -18 the previous week, but still four points below the 2013 index average of -12. Prior to last week, Americans’ confidence in the economy had generally been on a downward trajectory, after nearly reaching positive territory in […] Read more »
Consumer Comfort Declines for a Fourth Straight Week
Consumer confidence fell for a fourth consecutive week to its lowest level since early April as Americans’ views on the economy and buying climate deteriorated. The Bloomberg Consumer Comfort Index eased to minus 32.3 for the period ended Sept. 1, its weakest reading since April 7, from minus 31.7. The […] Read more »
Respecting the Science
Some folks – perhaps only stats nerds like yours truly – noticed this item in the press last week: “Second-Quarter G.D.P. Revised Sharply Higher … Government statisticians gave the American economy a lift Thursday when they sharply revised their calculation of the nation’s second-quarter growth to an annual rate of […] Read more »
Economic Confidence Lingers at Lower Level in August
Americans remained more negative than positive last month about economic conditions in the U.S. The Gallup Economic Confidence Index averaged -13 in August, similar to the -12 in July. The current score is down from -7 in May, which was the highest monthly reading since Gallup began tracking economic confidence […] Read more »