Poll: Voters optimistic about economy

The survey, from CNN and ORC, showed that 35 percent of Americans describe current economic conditions as “very good” or “somewhat good.” By contrast, 65 percent say that the country’s economy is “somewhat poor” or “very poor.”

{mosads}Those figures represent a significant uptick from the depths of the financial crisis. In September 2011, nine in 10 voters described the economy as doing poorly. At the end of the Bush administration, that number was a staggering 93 percent.

Voters are also optimistic that the economy will continue to improve. Half of those surveyed say economic conditions will improve by the summer of 2014, while 49 percent predict a poor economy. 

That figure, however, is actually down from 2012, when about two-thirds of those surveyed forecast economic improvement.

“The 2012 numbers, however, were heavily influenced by the presidential election, when both Democrats and Republicans thought conditions would be better in the following year, probably because both sides thought their candidate was going to win,” said CNN Polling Director Keating Holland in a statement. “This also happened in 2008 and appears to have happened in 2004 as well.”

Americans remain pessimistic though about their personal finances. Some 44 percent say their financial situation is worse off that it was a year ago, versus just 36 percent that say they are better off.

“Americans are no more positive about their own personal financial situation than they were a year ago, suggesting that American households don’t necessarily see good news on Wall Street as good news for Main Street,” Holland said.

The poll of 1,014 adults carried a margin of error of plus or minus 3 percentage points.