Poll: Less Optimism About Economic Future After Stock Market Turmoil
Fluctuations have not hurt Clinton's approval rating
By Keating Holland/CNN
WASHINGTON (Sept. 2) -- The recent fluctuations in the stock market have made Americans significantly less optimistic about the country's economic future, but have not affected the public's opinion of the current state of the economy or how Bill Clinton is handling his job as president, according to the latest CNN/USA Today/Gallup poll.
Only 45 percent of all Americans think that the economy is getting better, down from 69 percent who felt that way in March. But most Americans predict that the economy will not go into recession in the next 12 months, and only 37 percent say that the stock market's wild ride have made them feel less confident in about the nation's economy.
Even fewer -- 27 percent -- say that the market's ups and downs have made them feel less confident about their own personal financial situation. And only 4 percent of the general public forecast a crash by the end of the year; nearly half say that the market will stabilize about where it is now, and a quarter say it will go up.
Among stock owners (i.e. Americans who say they or their spouse have any money invested in an individual stock, a stock mutual fund, or a self-directed 401-K or IRA), just 4 percent say they took money out of the market in the past week, and 71 percent say they never seriously considered doing so.
As for Clinton, his approval rating is at 62 percent -- exactly where it was before the market's gyrations.
The survey of 606 adult Americans, including 387 who own stocks, was conducted
Sept. 1, 1998 and has a margin of sampling error of +/- 4 percentage points.
| Clinton Approval Rating |
Now
August 21-23 |
62%
62% |
| Economic Conditions |
Excellent
Good
Only fair
Poor |
Now
11%
54%
25%
9% |
March
20%
46%
27%
7% |
| Economic Conditions |
Getting better
Getting worse |
Now
45%
41% |
March
69%
21% |
| Recession During Next Twelve Months |
Very likely
Fairly likely
Not likely |
12%
28%
55% |
| Investing in Stock Market |
Good idea
Bad idea |
Now
46%
48% |
April
65%
28% |
| Are You Personally Concerned By Stock Market? |
Very concerned
Somewhat concerned
Not concerned |
22%
37%
40% |
| Concern About Stock Market Compared To Last Month |
A lot more
A little more
Not more |
20%
36%
41% |
| Stock Market By Year's End |
Crash
Drop
Stabilize
Rise |
4%
20%
48%
24% |
| Less Confident About Nation's Economy? |
Yes
No |
37%
59% |
| Less Confident About Personal Finances? |
Yes
No |
27%
69% |
| Considered Postponing A Big Purchase? |
Yes
No |
14%
82% |
| Considered Shifting Money Out of Stock Market? |
Yes
No |
22%
71% |
| Stock owners only: Sampling error: +/- 6 percentage points |
| Changes In Stock Investments Over Past Week |
Put money into market
Taken money out of market
No change in investments |
6%
4%
86% |
| Stock owners only: Sampling error: +/- 6 percentage points |
| Should U.S. Continue To Support Yeltsin? |
Yes
No |
Now
51%
35% |
1993
62%
23% |
|
News
Click here