PRINCETON, NJ -- Gallup Daily polling finds 87% of Americans saying the economy is "getting worse," the highest measured in Gallup Poll Daily tracking.
Additionally, just 16% rate current conditions as excellent or good, the lowest percentage giving the economy a positive review so far this year. Forty percent believe conditions are "poor" (one percentage point below the high in Gallup Poll Daily tracking this year) and 44% say they are "only fair."
Gallup computes a summary measure based on these two basic economic attitudes (ratings of current conditions and whether the economy is getting better or worse). Currently, a staggering 79% of Americans are defined as having a negative economic outlook -- they rate conditions as only fair or poor and say the economy is getting worse or staying the same. That is the highest negative percentage of the year. Only 6% of Americans are positive in their economic outlook -- they believe conditions are excellent or good and getting better or staying the same. -- Jeff Jones
Methodology: Gallup is interviewing no fewer than 1,000 U.S. adults nationwide each day during 2008. The economic questions analyzed in this report are asked of a random half-sample of respondents. The results reported here are based on combined data from 1,506 interviews conducted March 12-14, 2008. For results based on this sample, the maximum margin of sampling error is ±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.
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