Polling by Civiqs show perceptions of the direction of the national economy have flipped along partisan lines. Since June 1, 2016, Civiqs has polled voters nationwide on a daily basis with the question: “Do you think the nation’s economy is getting better or worse?”
In the past four years since early 2017, Republicans consistently gave very favorable responses to the direction of the economy, with the highest number of Republicans expressing concern for the direction of the economy in early- to mid-2020 at the height of the pandemic. Democrats expressed concern with the economy until COVID-19, when Democrat’s sentiment turned decidedly bearish.
That all changed almost overnight following the inauguration of President Biden. Democratic optimism about the economy has soared while Republicans have become deeply pessimistic.
Following the change in the balance of power in Washington, D.C., only 9% of Democrats believe the economy is getting worse, compared to 69% of Republicans and 43% of Independents who believe the economy is on a downward spiral. The latter number is close to the 45% of Independents who held a negative outlook on the economy during the 2020 election. As Republicans seek to retake Congress in the 2022 midterms, messaging that pulls more independents to their side will be a key to victory.
