January 13th, 2008
27% of Americans think the economy is good or excellent
27% of US consumers rate current economic conditions as good or excellent, a new low for annual Discover survey. At the same time, consumers rating the economy as poor rose to 36%, a new high. Singles and families with children showed more concern about the economy than those married and with no children. Nearly 40% of unmarried people rated the economy as poor while just over a third of married people felt the same way. Just 32% of those married without children rated the economy as poor while nearly 40% of people with children gave poor ratings to the economy.
30% felt economic conditions were the same or getting better in December 2007, compared to 28% in November 2007. 66% felt economic conditions were getting worse, a 1-point decline from November 2007. 22% rated their finances as poor. But slightly more consumers in December 2007 saw better days ahead with nearly 28% saying their personal finances were getting better, up a point from November 2007, and 46% saying their personal finances were getting worse, down a point from November 2007. Overall, a majority (52%) of consumers expected their finances to be the same or better in the month ahead.
