PRINCETON, NJ -- Only 16% of Americans currently believe U.S. economic conditions are "excellent" or "good," while 42% say they are "poor." At the same time, 85% say conditions are getting worse in Gallup Poll Daily tracking.
Although the stock market has nearly rebounded to where it was in January, consumer attitudes remain at the grim level seen at the bottom of the market in mid-March, when the Dow Jones industrial average dropped well below 12,000. Clearly, other aspects of the economy -- such as the housing market, unemployment, and food and gas prices -- are dampening consumer spirits. -- Lydia Saad
Survey Methods
For the Gallup Poll Daily tracking survey, 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 1,525 interviews conducted April 26-28, 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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