Americans’ optimism about the state of the economy continues to improve but it is still negative overall, according to Gallup’s most recent Economic Confidence Index. The index increased from -43 in May to -32 in June out of a theoretical range of -100 to 100, with scores in negative territory indicating that respondents rate current conditions as poor and believe the economy is getting worse. The index has been in negative territory since the start of the pandemic, hitting a low of -58 in June 2022.
Nineteen percent of respondents rated economic conditions as excellent or good and 44% as poor, with 37% describing them as “only fair.” At the same time, 27% of respondents said the economy is getting better while 66% said it is getting worse. That is an improvement from May, when 20% said the economy was getting better and 76% worse.