Economic optimism is at 11-year high, survey says

Americans’ view of the economy’s direction is at the highest point in more than a decade, according to a new Gallup poll.

Fifty-two percent of Americans believe the economy is “getting better,” the largest optimistic view since 2004. Just one-third of Americans think the economy is “getting worse.”

{mosads}The perspective of the economy took a nosedive ahead of the 2008 financial crisis, and this survey also marks the first time that American economic optimism returned to pre-crash numbers.

While all incomes and ages had a better view of the economy than last year, the results have a partisan shade. Democratic confidence in the economy grew 11 percentage points from 2014, up to 53 percent, but Republican confidence only grew 1 percentage point, to 38 percent.

The U.S. dollar has strengthened over the past few months, which has had both positive and negative impacts on the economy. Many analysts say the dollar’s rising value is in part because of improving market conditions.

But the International Monetary Fund cut its projections of the American economy, citing the dollar’s strength, according to The Associated Press.

It announced Tuesday that the U.S. economy is expected to grow 3.1 percent each of the next two years, which it classifies as “robust.”