Americans are happy with the booming U.S. economy, and a near record think the job market is the best ever, according to a sweeping new survey.
Just 12 percent mention “economic issues” as the top problem in the country, even lower than when the dot-com rage was boosting stocks to record highs in 2000, according to the latest Gallup survey.
[More: Incomes hit new record high and poverty fell to pre-recession low in 2017]
And that is a five-point drop in just one month, confirming that Americans are satisfied with the direction of the economy under President Trump.
What’s more, said Gallup, “In the current September survey, 55 percent of Americans say the economy is getting better, among the highest proportions saying this since 2004. A near-record-high 64 percent say now is a good time to find a quality job; workers remain upbeat about their job security; and employee engagement is at record highs.”
The poll follows government reports detailing growth in wages and GDP, and despite growing trade wars that some experts threatens the economy.
Republicans are likely to seize on the news to push their argument that tax cuts and the surging economy are reasons to keep them in control of the House and Senate.
The Gallup survey however also charted the latest sign of political division in the nation and pointed to a peculiar finding that despite faith in the economy Americans are growing concerned about how the government is operating.
As in past surveys, it found that Democrats are worried about Trump and Republicans are concerned about Democrats. What is unusual is that their lack of concern about the economy didn’t salve their political fears.
“Throughout the 1998 to 2000 period, as the economy prospered during the dot-com boom and as Americans’ mentions of the economy as the top problem remained low, satisfaction levels were consistently in the 50 percent and 60 percent range. That contrasts sharply with the much lower 37 percent satisfaction reading now — even though the economy appears to be in a similarly positive position,” said Gallup.
The survey giant’s bottom line in the report from Editor in Chief Frank Newport:
With the midterm elections approaching, Democrats’ low levels of satisfaction with the way things are going, and their dissatisfaction with the way the nation is being governed, certainly stand as motivating factors for them to turn out and attempt to change representation in Congress. Republicans’ high levels of satisfaction with the way things are going, however, may in turn motivate them to vote in order to keep the status quo in place.
