Gallup: 50% of Americans Say They’re Worse Off

 

In January 2020, Americans were three times as likely to say things were looking up for them, rather than going south. Three years later, that number has flipped.

Back when Literally Hitler was president, 59% of Americans said they were better off than they were the year previous, while 20% said they were worse off. With President Chocolate Chocolate Chip running the show, just 35% say they’re better off, while 50% are worse off.

Gallup has conducted this poll since 1976, and the only time the “worse off” figure has reached that high was during the Great Recession of 2008. Last year, better/worse were tied at 41%.

The people really feeling the pinch are lower-income Americans.

Perhaps one reason high-earners are feeling better (or at least less bad) is their easy access to credit.

The Federal Reserve Bank of New York reported that credit card debt has hit an all-time high. Those convenient plastic rectangles now add up to $986 billion, with delinquencies increasing over the last quarter of 2022.

You get what you vote for, America.

Published in Economics, Politics
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  1. Fake John/Jane Galt Coolidge
    Fake John/Jane Galt
    @FakeJohnJaneGalt

    So?  They voted for Biden so they got what they wanted.  I expect that they will vote him in next time for the same.  

    • #1
  2. Jim George Member
    Jim George
    @JimGeorge

    Jon Gabriel, Ed.: You get what you vote for, America.

    Yes, including certain member(s?) of this alleged “Center Right” platform who have yet to admit the egregious error of judgment their white-hot hatred of President Trump caused them to make. Just my First Amendment protected opinion, for what it’s worth. 

    • #2
  3. kedavis Coolidge
    kedavis
    @kedavis

    The trick is finding ways to keep yourself better off even when idiots vote for Dimocrats.  THEY deserve to suffer the consequences, but I don’t.

    • #3
  4. Jim George Member
    Jim George
    @JimGeorge

    Fake John/Jane Galt (View Comment):

    So? They voted for Biden so they got what they wanted. I expect that they will vote him in next time for the same.

    @fakejohnjanegalt, hope you are improving satisfactorily! Best wishes for a steady recovery. 

     

    • #4
  5. Percival Thatcher
    Percival
    @Percival

    Jon Gabriel, Ed.: The people really feeling the pinch are lower-income Americans.

    They will own nothing and be happy.

    • #5
  6. Jim George Member
    Jim George
    @JimGeorge

    kedavis (View Comment):

    The trick is finding ways to keep yourself better off even when idiots vote for Dimocrats. THEY deserve to suffer the consequences, but I don’t.

    Including one who voted for the candidate for Governor in his home state who advocates for abortion up to the moment of birth. Everyone suffers from errors in judgment like that one. Especially, although they do not want to talk about this, the little babies who are killed by the Democrats they vote into office. Just my First Amendment protected opinion, for what it’s worth. 

    • #6
  7. kedavis Coolidge
    kedavis
    @kedavis

    Percival (View Comment):

    Jon Gabriel, Ed.: The people really feeling the pinch are lower-income Americans.

    They will own nothing and be happy.

    Or Else.

    • #7
  8. kedavis Coolidge
    kedavis
    @kedavis

    Jim George (View Comment):

    kedavis (View Comment):

    The trick is finding ways to keep yourself better off even when idiots vote for Dimocrats. THEY deserve to suffer the consequences, but I don’t.

    Including one who voted for the candidate for Governor in his home state who advocates for abortion up to the moment of birth. Everyone suffers from errors in judgment like that one. Especially, although they do not want to talk about this, the little babies who are killed by the Democrats they vote into office. Just my First Amendment protected opinion, for what it’s worth.

    But people who “support” Trump are the REAL threat, don’cha’know.

    • #8
  9. Victor Tango Kilo Member
    Victor Tango Kilo
    @VtheK

    kedavis (View Comment):

    The trick is finding ways to keep yourself better off even when idiots vote for Dimocrats. THEY deserve to suffer the consequences, but I don’t.

    Embrace the suck. Because it’s only going to get worse nothing can stop it, now.

    • #9
  10. Fake John/Jane Galt Coolidge
    Fake John/Jane Galt
    @FakeJohnJaneGalt

    Jim George (View Comment):

    Fake John/Jane Galt (View Comment):

    So? They voted for Biden so they got what they wanted. I expect that they will vote him in next time for the same.

    @ fakejohnjanegalt, hope you are improving satisfactorily! Best wishes for a steady recovery.

     

    Thank you.  I am doing well all things considered.  Seems a bit better everyday.  Thanks for the comment.

    • #10
  11. Richard Easton Coolidge
    Richard Easton
    @RichardEaston

    The dead are not worse off.

    • #11
  12. Skyler Coolidge
    Skyler
    @Skyler

    He must have some kind of medicine in his ice cream because he certainly eats it a lot at pretty odd times.

    • #12
  13. Skyler Coolidge
    Skyler
    @Skyler

    Jon Gabriel, Ed.:

    You get what you vote for, America.

    Except we didn’t.

    • #13
  14. Gazpacho Grande' Coolidge
    Gazpacho Grande'
    @ChrisCampion

    Perhaps one reason high-earners are feeling better (or at least less bad) is their easy access to credit.

    I think there is something to this.  I did a re-fi on the house to consolidate and pay down some debt late last year.  But my income didn’t change.

    Also, just heard from a buddy at work:  No COLA increase this year in salaries.  Funny, earnings were up or at target.

    • #14
  15. Gazpacho Grande' Coolidge
    Gazpacho Grande'
    @ChrisCampion

    Skyler (View Comment):

    He must have some kind of medicine in his ice cream because he certainly eats it a lot at pretty odd times.

    Really want to backhand that cone out of his face.

    • #15
  16. GlenEisenhardt Member
    GlenEisenhardt
    @

    They do get what they vote for. They vote for the left and they get disaster. They vote for the right and they get nothing but diet disaster.

    • #16
  17. Nanocelt TheContrarian Member
    Nanocelt TheContrarian
    @NanoceltTheContrarian

    GlenEisenhardt (View Comment):

    They do get what they vote for. They vote for the left and they get disaster. They vote for the right and they get nothing but diet disaster.

    You brought to mind the spectacle of Phil Gramm (Self styled paleocon, sort of like Pierre Delicto the severe conservative) giddily emoting about voting for permanent most favored nation trading status for Communist China, saying “this is why we kiss all those babies!” That was at the tail end of the Clinton administration, a reciprocation to the Chicoms for funding his 1996 re election campaign. Even Richard Gephart was sane enough to oppose that deal.  That was followed shortly thereafter by China’s entrance in to the WTO without having to comply with the rules, early in the W administration.Ross Perot’s NAFTA giant sucking sound turned into a tsunami roar of jobs flooding to China. 
    There is bipartisanship in DC. Lots of it. All directed at trashing America. 

    • #17
  18. GlenEisenhardt Member
    GlenEisenhardt
    @

    Nanocelt TheContrarian (View Comment):

    GlenEisenhardt (View Comment):

    They do get what they vote for. They vote for the left and they get disaster. They vote for the right and they get nothing but diet disaster.

    You brought to mind the spectacle of Phil Gramm (Self styled paleocon, sort of like Pierre Delicto the severe conservative) giddily emoting about voting for permanent most favored nation trading status for Communist China, saying “this is why we kiss all those babies!” That was at the tail end of the Clinton administration, a reciprocation to the Chicoms for funding his 1996 re election campaign. Even Richard Gephart was sane enough to oppose that deal. That was followed shortly thereafter by China’s entrance in to the WTO without having to comply with the rules, early in the W administration.Ross Perot’s NAFTA giant sucking sound turned into a tsunami roar of jobs flooding to China.
    There is bipartisanship in DC. Lots of it. All directed at trashing America.

    Yup. The elites in this country feel no duty to the average American. They care more about their global agendas and all the foreigners they can get in here as quickly as possible. What Washington has done is a total betrayal. 

    • #18
  19. Derek Tyburczyk Lincoln
    Derek Tyburczyk
    @Derek Tyburczyk

    Electing Biden,( Bidet?), a hyper-reactive blowback from the 24-7 news portrayal of the Orange Man. An irritated, irrational electorate was never going to make good choices at the ballot box.

    Not sure how to counteract this in the future, but calm, rational consideration would seem hopeless, in the polemical morass, that is politics. Simply agitate the electorate, into frothing, seething mass, and watch everything implode.

    • #19
  20. GlenEisenhardt Member
    GlenEisenhardt
    @

    Derek Tyburczyk (View Comment):

    Electing Biden,( Bidet?), a hyper-reactive blowback from the 24-7 news portrayal of the Orange Man. An irritated, irrational electorate was never going to make good choices at the ballot box.

    Not sure how to counteract this in the future, but calm, rational consideration would seem hopeless, in the polemical morass, that is politics. Simply agitate the electorate, into frothing, seething mass, and watch everything implode.

    They don’t even need to agitate. Biden hid in his basement. The woman who got elected Arizona governor refused to even debate and barely gave interviews and was never put in a position to defend her policies. Fetterman is a vegetable who can’t speak. They won. Refusing to debate or even defend or speak on your policy positions would have been an automatic disqualifier in the past. Now you can get elected President while sitting at home and never showing your face. Republicans fail as usual and wait on the garbage courts to save them instead of playing the ballot box game themselves.

    • #20
  21. Western Chauvinist Member
    Western Chauvinist
    @WesternChauvinist

    The second part of Jon’s title: the other 50 percent are worse off, too. They’re just self-deluded.

    • #21
  22. Skyler Coolidge
    Skyler
    @Skyler

    GlenEisenhardt (View Comment):
    Now you can get elected President while sitting at home and never showing your face.

    That’s a feature because if they had to articulate what they planned to do then no one would vote for them and the ballot box stuffing would be even less believable.

    • #22
  23. Victor Tango Kilo Member
    Victor Tango Kilo
    @VtheK

    GlenEisenhardt (View Comment):
    Biden hid in his basement. The woman who got elected Arizona governor refused to even debate and barely gave interviews and was never put in a position to defend her policies. Fetterman is a vegetable who can’t speak. They won

    Because the system is rigged. There’s just no way around junk mail balloting controlled by Democrats.  Vote-by-mail is the killer app of election manipulation.

    • #23
  24. Derek Tyburczyk Lincoln
    Derek Tyburczyk
    @Derek Tyburczyk

    GlenEisenhardt (View Comment):

    Derek Tyburczyk (View Comment):

    Electing Biden,( Bidet?), a hyper-reactive blowback from the 24-7 news portrayal of the Orange Man. An irritated, irrational electorate was never going to make good choices at the ballot box.

    Not sure how to counteract this in the future, but calm, rational consideration would seem hopeless, in the polemical morass, that is politics. Simply agitate the electorate, into frothing, seething mass, and watch everything implode.

    They don’t even need to agitate. Biden hid in his basement. The woman who got elected Arizona governor refused to even debate and barely gave interviews and was never put in a position to defend her policies. Fetterman is a vegetable who can’t speak. They won. Refusing to debate or even defend or speak on your policy positions would have been an automatic disqualifier in the past. Now you can get elected President while sitting at home and never showing your face. Republicans fail as usual and wait on the garbage courts to save them instead of playing the ballot box game themselves.

    The system is rigged, for sure. Debates in the political realm arre staged, and rehearsed. They don’t really indicate what lies within the candidates. Too much surface level projection, too little circumspection, and careful consideration, from the candidates, and the voting public.

    • #24
  25. Manny Coolidge
    Manny
    @Manny

    I’m surprised that 50% say they are not worse off. How could that be?

    • #25
  26. Mad Gerald Coolidge
    Mad Gerald
    @Jose

    Jon Gabriel, Ed.: Back when Literally Hitler was president…

    As opposed to Chimpy McHitlerburton...

    I’m worse off.  I lost a good paying job for refusing the jab.  And my retirement accounts have lost well over 6 figures.

    • #26
  27. Skyler Coolidge
    Skyler
    @Skyler

    Manny (View Comment):

    I’m surprised that 50% say they are not worse off. How could that be?

    Because the nation is irrationally polarized and whatever opinion one side has will be opposed by the other.  If one says girls are girls, the other will say boys can be girls.  That’s insane.  Merely claiming to be “better off” is petty in comparison.

    • #27
  28. kedavis Coolidge
    kedavis
    @kedavis

    Gazpacho Grande' (View Comment):

    Skyler (View Comment):

    He must have some kind of medicine in his ice cream because he certainly eats it a lot at pretty odd times.

    Really want to backhand that cone out of his face.

    I’d rather backhand the face.

    • #28
  29. kedavis Coolidge
    kedavis
    @kedavis

    Western Chauvinist (View Comment):

    The second part of Jon’s title: the other 50 percent are worse off, too. They’re just self-deluded.

    I was thinking the same.  “The other 50% are worse off too, they just won’t admit it, or don’t realize it yet.”

    • #29
  30. kedavis Coolidge
    kedavis
    @kedavis

    Manny (View Comment):

    I’m surprised that 50% say they are not worse off. How could that be?

    Ibid.

    • #30
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