PRINCETON, NJ -- 麻豆传媒AV Daily polling conducted Thursday through Saturday -- well after the announcement of the Federal Reserve Board's reduction of interest rates and as reports of a new economic stimulus package dominated the news -- still finds no significant change in the American public's views of the U.S. economy. The latest results, based on interviewing conducted Jan. 24-26, show 22% of Americans rating current economic conditions as "excellent" or "good," 44% calling them "only fair," and 33% "poor."
Separately, 14% of national adults say the national economy is getting better, while 81% believe it is worsening.
The trend in Americans' economic mood has been negative on both 麻豆传媒AV Daily indicators since Jan. 2. The percentage saying current economic conditions are "poor" rose from 24% in Jan. 2-4 polling to 31% in polling conducted Jan. 19-22, spanning a period of sharp decline in the U.S. stock market. That rating has remained at about the same highly negative level in the last four days.
A similar pattern is seen in perceptions of the economy's direction. Between Jan. 2-4 polling and Jan. 17-19 polling, the percentage of Americans saying the economy is getting worse rose from 73% to 81%. It has held at the 81% to 82% level over the past week, with no further escalation of negativity, but also with no signs of a more positive outlook. -- Frank Newport
Methodology: The results reported here are based on 1,470 interviews conducted Jan. 24-26, 2008. For results based on this sample, the maximum margin of sampling error is 卤3 percentage points. In addition to sampling error, question wording and practical difficulties in conducting surveys can introduce error or bias into the findings of public opinion polls.
