Gallup Economic Confidence Index Steady

Gallup's Economic Confidence Index averaged minus 13 in October. This is essentially the same as the minus 14 average for September. The index has declined since peaking at plus 3 in January 2015, and has remained below minus 10 for four months.

Since March, Americans have consistently viewed the outlook for the economy more negatively than they have viewed current economic conditions. From a broader perspective, the main cause for the decline in the index since January is the drop in Americans' economic outlook, which has fallen more steeply than their views of the current economy. Both components have been level since August.

In October, 24 percent of Americans described current economic conditions as "excellent" or "good," while 31 percent rated them "poor." This resulted in a current conditions average of minus 7. The economic outlook average was minus 19 for this same period. This was the result of 38 percent of Americans saying the economy is "getting better" and 57 percent saying it is "getting worse."

Definition:
The Gallup Economic Confidence Index (ECI) is a broad indicator of Americans' confidence in national economic conditions, comparable to the Conference Board's Consumer Confidence Index and the Thomson Reuters/University of Michigan Consumer Sentiment Index.