U.S. economic confidence has been steadily improving, but has yet to recover from the financial crisis, according to new survey data released Tuesday.

Only 44 percent of Americans think that the economy is in good shape, the Pew Research Center reported Tuesday. Although a full 27 percentage points higher than during the depths of the crisis in 2009, U.S. economic views still are, on balance, negative, and have been since 2007.