President Donald Trump has always liked to talk about how strong the economy was under his watch. Although judging a president’s economic performance can be difficult because there’s only so much he can control, Americans at large, and voters specifically, seemed to agree with Trump. If the economy were the […] Read more »
The Conference Board Consumer Confidence Index Declined in December
The Conference Board Consumer Confidence Index® declined in December, after decreasing in November. The Index now stands at 88.6 (1985=100), down from 92.9 in November. … “Consumers’ assessment of current conditions deteriorated sharply in December, as the resurgence of COVID-19 remains a drag on confidence,” said Lynn Franco, Senior Director […] Read more »
Almost 40% of Americans plan to spend less this holiday season as the Covid pandemic lingers
Almost 40% of Americans plan to spend less on gifts this holiday season than they did last year, the largest such percentage since 2013, according to the CNBC All-America Economic Survey. Just 11% plan to spend more, as Americans continue to cope with surging Covid-19 cases and widespread unemployment. The […] Read more »
Most Think California Children Will Be Worse Off than Their Parents; Two-Thirds See Income Inequality Widening
A solid majority of Californians say children growing up in the state today will be worse off financially than their parents, while more than two-thirds say the gap between rich and poor is widening. In the past year, more than four in ten households with annual incomes below $40,000 had […] Read more »
Biden-Harris Economic Priorities and U.S. Public Opinion
The Biden-Harris transition website lists four priorities for the forthcoming administration: COVID-19, economic recovery, racial equity and climate change. How well do these priorities sync with U.S. public opinion? One way to answer that question is to use Gallup’s monthly update on Americans’ views of the most important problem facing […] Read more »
Four things that could still affect the presidential race but probably won’t
If there’s anything that’s defined the 2020 presidential race so far it’s stability. No matter what issues and events the world throws at it — and it’s thrown plenty — the polls barely budge. Yes, the overall polling averages have narrowed slightly during September, but Biden continues to have an […] Read more »