The majority of Americans are looking to 2024 with a deeper than normal sense of pessimism, according to a new Marist Poll published by Poughkeepsie-based Marist College.
The poll, which surveyed 1,130 adults from Dec. 13-15, found nearly six in 10 respondents (59%) admitting they were more pessimistic than optimistic about the coming year – the highest level of negative feelings since 2018. And while more than seven in ten respondents predicted their personal family finances will either stay the same or get better in 2024, three in 10 expect their personal finances will get worse – the greatest share in 14 years.
Among political factions, 69% of Republicans and 67% of independents (67%) said they are more pessimistic about what’s ahead in 2024, while 51% of Democrats were looking to the new year with optimism.
“The state of the economy is likely to be a major story of the 2024 campaign,” said Lee M. Miringoff, director of the Marist Institute for Public Opinion. “Right now, President Biden needs to convince more Americans that his economic policies are working.”
