… You probably won’t be surprised to hear that voters are poorly informed about the deficit. But you may be surprised by just how misinformed. … Am I saying that voters are stupid? Not at all. People have lives, jobs, children to raise. They’re not going to sit down with […] Read more »
Consumer Comfort in U.S. Declines From More Than Five-Year High
Consumer confidence cooled last week from its highest level in more than five years as Americans’ views on the economy, personal finances and spending receded. The Bloomberg Consumer Comfort Index fell to minus 26.6 for the period ended Aug. 11, its first drop in four weeks. The reading was the […] Read more »
Obama’s Economic Approval Slips to 35%
Despite President Barack Obama’s renewed focus on the nation’s economy this summer, crisscrossing the country to talk about job creation, he scores worse with Americans on the economy than he did in June. His approval rating on the issue, now 35%, is down seven percentage points, and his ratings on […] Read more »
Economic Confidence Edges Back Up
Americans’ confidence in the economy improved last week after slipping in late July and early August. Gallup’s Economic Confidence Index rose to -10 in the week ending Aug. 11 from the previous week’s -14 — the worst confidence rating since mid-April. The increase in consumers’ confidence this week is the […] Read more »
A Poll I’d Like To See
… Larry Bartels likes to cite a 1996 poll in which voters were asked whether the deficit had increased or decreased under Clinton (it had, in fact, fallen sharply). A plurality of voters — and a heavy majority of Republicans — thought the deficit had gone up. So I’d love […] Read more »
Consumer Comfort in U.S. Climbs to More Than Five-Year High
Consumer confidence advanced last week to the highest level in more than five years as Americans’ views on the economy, personal finances and spending improved. The Bloomberg Consumer Comfort Index rose to minus 23.5 for the period ended Aug. 4, its strongest reading since January 2008, from minus 27 a […] Read more »