Key U.S. Economic Assessments Strong, Stable
By Jeffrey M. Jones
Gallup
November 16, 2018
Gallup's November update finds Americans' positive evaluations of the economy persisting, with current attitudes on key economic indicators among the best in the past two decades.
Fifty-five percent of Americans rate economic conditions as either excellent or good, while 14% describe them as poor, according to the Nov. 1-11 survey. Meanwhile, 57% say the economy is getting better compared with 36% who say it is getting worse.
The results of these two items are summarized in Gallup's Economic Confidence Index, which, at +31, is essentially unchanged from last month (+33) and continues to rank among the best measured since the dot-com boom in the late 1990s and early 2000s.
The new poll also finds 68% of Americans saying it is now "a good time to find a quality job," tying the record high from last month as well as July. For most of the 18 years during which Gallup has asked this question, less than half of Americans rated the job market positively. Not until February 2017 did the percentage surpass a majority.
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Given Americans' rosy assessments of the economy and job market, it follows that relatively few Americans view economic matters as the most important problem facing the country.
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[It] has been nearly two decades since Americans have been as positive about the U.S. economy as they are now, and the recent volatility in the stock market so far appears to have done little to shake their confidence.
Donald J. Trump, Press Release - Gallup: "Key U.S. Economic Assessments Strong, Stable" Online by Gerhard Peters and John T. Woolley, The American Presidency Project https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/node/336306