Americans Pessimistic on Economy with Nearly Half Believing It Will Get Worse Over the Next Year

A newly released poll conduct by the Wall Street Journal/NORC has revealed that pessimism about the economy is reaching all-time highs, with 45 percent of Americans believing that the state of the economy will get worse in the coming year. Only 25 percent believe that it will improve, with 29 percent believing it will stay the same.

The poll also found that less than half of respondents (47 percent) said they were satisfied with their current financial situation and 30 percent said they were not satisfied at all. Slightly more than 1 in 5 respondents said they were satisfied.

While the number of respondents who described the economy as excellent or good has risen by six points from a year ago, the numbers remain under water at 44 percent, with 56 percent saying they see the economy as poor or not so good. Nearly one third of respondents (32 percent) say that rising costs are leading to financial difficulties.

In addition, nearly seven in ten Americans (69 percent) said they think the American Dream “no longer holds true” or “it never did”.

The poll, reported in The Hill, was conducted from July 10-23 among a sample of 1,527 adults in the United States. It carried a margin of error of +/- 3.4 percentage points.