Polling News

Americans Down on Their Standard of Living

December 14, 2023

The Biden Administration has worked for months to praise the positive achievements of Bidenomics. However, most Americans do not feel the economic gains the Administration CLAIMS, according to a new CBS/YouGov poll. More Americans today say their standard of living is worse than that of their parents–a direct hit with the ideal of the American Dream.

By The Numbers:

  • Forty-six percent of all Americans believe their standard of living is worse than their parents’ standard of living. Twenty-one percent believe it’s about the same, and just 33% say it’s better. 
  • Thirty-nine percent of Americans 18-29 years old believe their standard of living is worse than their parents’ standard of living was. More Americans in the prime working years feel this way. Over half of Americans ages 30-64 believe this to be the case (51%). Forty percent of Americans over 65 years old believe their standard of living is worse than their parents’ standard of living was.
  • How do Americans judge how the economy is doing? Eighty-five percent of Americans say their own experiences; 72% say people they know; 70% say businesses in their community, and only 66% say national data.  

The Bottom Line: The Biden Administration and national Democrats rely too much on numbers the White House pushes out to show the economy is bouncing back. They miss the actual real life experiences Americans are having as they experience higher grocery prices, out-of-reach mortgage rates, and closing businesses. Republicans need to pounce on this, not just with data and numbers, but by humanizing the damage the Biden economy has brought or tolerated. 

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