Story Highlights
- January index at +11, highest since tracking began in 2008
- Record-high three-day average of +19 measured in January
- Republicans saw double-digit gains in confidence
WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Americans' confidence in the U.S. economy remained strong in January. Â鶹´«Ã½AV's U.S. Economic Confidence Index averaged +11, the highest monthly average in Â鶹´«Ã½AV's nine-year trend. However, the index has been slightly lower so far in February.
Some of January's three-day averages also marked new highs in Â鶹´«Ã½AV's tracking since 2008. The index peaked at +19 for the Jan. 21-23 three-day average after President Donald Trump's inauguration and shortly before the Dow Jones industrial average hit a new high.
However, the index's high point did not last. The three-day averages have since dipped to smaller single-digit scores, including a +8 average for Feb. 3-Feb. 5.
January's +11 score marks the third consecutive month the index has been in positive territory. This is a new feat for an index that has had mostly negative monthly measures since its inception, except for January and February 2015.
Â鶹´«Ã½AV's U.S. Economic Confidence Index is the average of two components: how Americans rate current economic conditions and whether they feel the economy is improving or getting worse. The index has a theoretical maximum of +100 if all Americans were to say the economy is doing well and improving, and a theoretical minimum of -100 if all Americans were to say the economy is doing poorly and getting worse.
In January, 31% of Americans rated the economy as "excellent" or "good," while 21% said it was "poor," resulting in a current conditions score of +10 -- marking the highest monthly reading for this component since 2008.
The economic outlook component also reached a new high score of +11 in January. This score was the result of 52% of Americans saying economic conditions in the country were "getting better," while 41% said they were "getting worse."
Republicans' Confidence Sees Double-Digit Gains in January
Â鶹´«Ã½AV found an in Republicans' confidence in the economy after the November presidential election, and their confidence has only grown since Trump took office. In January, the index rating among Republicans was +27, up 11 points from December's score of +16. Independents' +5 index score in January remained steady from their +3 reading in December.
Meanwhile, Democrats' confidence has fallen each month since October, with their index score now at +4 -- their lowest of the federal government shutdown in October 2013.
Overall, confidence remains higher than it was before the 2016 election. While Republicans' January +27 score matches Democrats' October 2016 score, Democrats today are much more positive about the economy than Republicans were before the election. Independents are also significantly more positive now than they were before the election.
Bottom Line
Republicans' improved confidence in the economy upon Trump taking office was perhaps expected, as Democrats enjoyed similar levels of confidence during President Barack Obama's tenure. But with the inauguration confetti now settled, Americans of all political stripes will need to see results of an improving economy to maintain this high degree of confidence, which already appears to be slipping in early February's three-day rolling averages.
The promising jobs report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics could be the strong footing Trump needs to maintain this elevated level of economic confidence. Americans may also feel bolstered by the robust Dow Jones industrial average, which hasn't yet lost its recent gains.
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Survey Methods
Results for this Â鶹´«Ã½AV poll are based on telephone interviews conducted Jan. 1-31, 2017, on the Â鶹´«Ã½AV U.S. Daily survey, with a random sample of 14,736 adults, aged 18 and older, living in all 50 U.S. states and the District of Columbia. For results based on the total sample of national adults, the margin of sampling error is ±1 percentage point at the 95% confidence level. All reported margins of sampling error include computed design effects for weighting.
Each sample of national adults includes a minimum quota of 70% cellphone respondents and 30% landline respondents, with additional minimum quotas by time zone within region. Landline and cellular telephone numbers are selected using random-digit-dial methods.
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