Reuters/Zogby Index Slips As Economic Worries Grow

Survey shows just 10% give U.S. economic policy a positive rating; Three in four believe the nation is headed on the wrong track

UTICA, New York – Likely voters are increasingly dissatisfied with U.S. economic policy as worries about inflation and a slowing U.S. economy leave Americans in a dismal mood, a new Reuters/Zogby poll shows.

Data from this poll is available here

The Reuters/Zogby Index, which measures American confidence, has fallen slightly to 88.7, down from 90.4 in June, and continues to remain just above the all-time low of 87.7 it hit in March. The Reuters/Zogby Index includes 10 poll questions that gauge perception of the state of the country and the economy. The telephone survey of 1,039 likely voters nationwide was conducted July 9-13, 2008. It carries a margin of error of +/- 3.1 percentage points.

	July 2008	June 2008	May 2008	April 2008	March 2008	Feb. 2008	Jan. 2008	Dec. 2007	Nov. 2007	Oct. 2007	Sept. 2007	Aug. 2007
Reuters/Zogby Index	88.7	90.4	87.9	95.5	87.7	99.3	94.2	97.3	94.9	96.0	98.8	100

Nine in 10 likely voters dissatisfied with U.S. economic policy

Dissatisfaction with U.S. economic policy continues to increase, with 89% who now view the nation's economic policy as fair or poor, up from 84% who said the same last month – 55% now give U.S. economic policy a "poor" rating. The vast majority of Democrats (96%) and political independents (91%) have a negative view of the nation's economic policy, while 80% of Republicans now share those feelings, an increase from 71% who said the same in June.

Likely voters also maintain their pessimistic views about the direction in which the country is headed, with 73% who believe the nation is on the wrong track, compared to 74% who said the same in June. Democrats are most likely to take a negative view of the country's direction, with 84% who now say the U.S. is on the wrong track, a slight decrease from 86% who said the same in June. The vast majority of independents take a similar view, with 82% who said the country is on the wrong track, falling from 86% who said the same last month. More than half of Republicans now believe the nation is headed on the wrong track (55%), up from 51% in June.

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