A growing share of Americans now believe the economy is moving in the wrong direction, with new polling showing pessimism matching levels last seen during previous periods of national economic stress.
A new Fox News poll found seven in ten Americans say the economy is getting worse, matching a record high first reached in 2023. The findings counter President Donald Trump’s economic messaging as voter anxiety over prices and affordability hardens.
Economic pessimism is shaping partisan trust, voter motivation and the broader political environment heading toward the midterms.
Why It Matters
Presidents are often judged less on macroeconomic indicators than on how voters feel about household finances. When pessimism reaches sustained highs, it tends to weaken claims of economic stewardship and complicate governing coalitions.
Seven in Ten Say the Economy Is Getting Worse
Public sentiment about the economy has deteriorated sharply, according to a Fox News national poll conducted April 17–20, 2026, under the joint, bipartisan direction of Beacon Research and Shaw & Company Research.
The survey of 1,001 registered voters nationwide, conducted by phone and online, found that 70 percent said the economy feels like it is worsening, 26 percent said it is getting better, and just 4 percent said it is staying the same. Results carry a plus or minus 3‑point margin of error.
That reading matches a record high first recorded in April 2023, during a period of elevated inflation and post‑pandemic economic disruption. Since then, pessimism has remained unusually high, dipping only modestly before returning to peak levels this spring.
“Setting aside actual economic conditions, polarization is so pervasive now that it’s difficult to imagine a turnaround that could convince Democrats that Trump’s policies are working,” said Daron Shaw, a Republican pollster who works with Democrat Chris Anderson on Fox News polls.
As recently as April 2025, 55 percent said the economy was getting worse. One year later, that figure has climbed by 15 points, underscoring how negative sentiment has hardened rather than eased.
A Long View Shows Pessimism Hardening
While economic perceptions fluctuate, the long‑term Fox News trendline shows how exceptional the current moment has become.
In March 2017, shortly after Trump’s first inauguration, nearly half of Americans (48 percent) said the economy was getting better, while fewer than three in ten said it was getting worse. Earlier periods of strong economic pessimism, such as 2006, 2013, and 2016, never reached today’s levels. Only two readings in more than two decades—April 2023 and April 2026—show seven in ten Americans saying the economy is deteriorating.
Even during the financial crisis era, pessimism peaked at a lower level. What makes the current environment distinct is persistence. Economic anxiety has remained elevated for more than two years, rather than spiking briefly and receding.
Pocketbook Pressure Is Driving the Mood
The April Fox News poll suggests voters are responding less to abstract economic debates than to daily financial strain.
Roughly three‑quarters of voters continue to give the economy negative ratings overall, while 60 percent rate their personal financial situation negatively. Majorities describe the cost of groceries (62 percent), gas (60 percent), health care (55 percent) and housing (52 percent) as a major problem for their families.
Gas prices stand out as a key pressure point. The share calling them a major problem has nearly doubled since September 2025, rising from 33 percent to 60 percent.
Asked to name the most important issue facing the country, 43 percent cited economic concerns, including inflation and the broader economy—far outpacing any other category.
A Challenge to Trump’s Economic Brand
The findings pose a political risk for Trump, who has long presented himself as a reliable steward of the economy and a defender of household affordability.
In the same Fox News survey, Trump’s job approval stood at 42 percent, with 58 percent disapproving, producing a net approval rating of -16. While that marked a slight improvement from last month, it remains deeply underwater. Voters were twice as likely to say Trump’s policies are hurting rather than helping the economy, 56 percent to 28 percent.
Only Republicans, particularly self‑identified MAGA Republicans, expressed broad confidence that his agenda is improving conditions. That polarization helps explain why pessimism remains high even as some economic indicators have stabilized.
For many voters, perceptions appear locked in.
White House spokesman Davis Ingle told Newsweek in an emailed statement: “The ultimate poll was November 5th 2024 when nearly 80 million Americans overwhelmingly elected President Trump to deliver on his popular and commonsense agenda. No other President in history has accomplished more for the American people than President Trump, who is working tirelessly to create jobs, cool inflation, increase housing affordability, and more.”
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