Americans More Confident About Economy In March: Gallup

Americans were slightly more confident in the economy in March than they were in February; however, their confidence has not drastically changed in the past nine months. Gallup's U.S. Economic Confidence Index averaged minus 10 in March, up slightly from minus 13 in February and on the high end of the minus 10 to minus 14 range found since July. Overall, Americans' economic confidence is much higher than it was during the recession and immediate post-recession years, but it remains down from recent high points measured in early 2015.

In March, the current conditions score improved to minus 3 from minus 5 the previous month. This was the result of 26 percent of Americans rating current economic conditions in the U.S. as "excellent" or "good," and 29 percent rating them as "poor." Americans continue to view current economic conditions more favorably than their outlook of the economy, as they have since March 2015. In the most recent polling, 39 percent of Americans said the economy was "getting better," while 56 percent said it was "getting worse." This resulted in an economic outlook score of minus 17, up from minus 20 in February.