Economic confidence is rising, especially among white men

Economic optimism is at the highest it has been since the pandemic began, and it’s uneducated white men who have the rosiest outlook.

According to the latest Economist / YouGov data, about three in 10 (31%) registered voters say they think the economy is getting better, a high-water mark of confidence since a dramatic drop in early March brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent lockdowns.

That said, 45% say they think the economy is getting worse and 18% say it’s steady.

About two in five white men with (40%) and without (41%) a four-year degree say the economy is getting better; they are more likely to do so than white women without a degree (34%) and more still than women with a degree (30%).

By further comparison, 25% of Hispanic Americans think the economy is getting better, while just 13% of Black Americans hold that opinion.

See the toplines and crosstabs from this week's Economist/YouGov Poll

Methodology: The Economist survey was conducted by YouGov using a nationally representative sample of 1,500 registered voters interviewed online between October 31 - November 2, 2020. This sample was weighted according to gender, age, race, and education based on the American Community Survey, conducted by the US Bureau of the Census, as well as 2016 Presidential vote, registration status, geographic region, and news interest. Respondents were selected from YouGov’s opt-in panel to be representative of all US citizens. The margin of error is approximately 3.0% for the overall sample.

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