As gas prices and food prices continue their climb, the American public perceives overall economic policies of the federal government in a negative light. But, there is a sense of optimism about where things will be going in the next six months.

- Seven in ten Americans (71%) rate the economic policies of the national government as bad while 13 percent rate them as good. One in five (21%) say the policies are very bad. The economic rebate checks may have hit people’s bank accounts and mailboxes, but that has not done much to change opinions; in March, almost the same number (70%) said the policies were bad;

- Compared to one year ago, almost half of U.S. adults (47%) say their household’s financial condition has worsened while one-third (34%) say it has improved and one in five (20%) say it has remained the same. In March, three in ten (30%) said it their household’s financial condition had improved compared to a year ago while half (48%) said it had worsened;

- Two in five (40%) Americans believe their household’s financial situation will be better six months from now while 36 percent say it will be worse and one-quarter (25%) believe it will remain the same. In March, one-third (33%) felt it would get better and 39 percent believed it would get worse;

- More than half (53%) say the job market in their region of the country is bad while just over one-quarter (28%) say that it is good.

The Role of Politics

Probably not surprisingly, one’s party identification does show some difference in feelings about the economy:

- Republicans, across the board, are more optimistic about all facets of the economy. They are more likely to think the economic policies of the national government are good (25%) and more likely to say their household’s financial condition has improved (45%) and will improve (46%);

- Democrats, on the other hand, are more pessimistic. More than four in five (83%) say the economic policies of the national government are bad. Also, over half (55%) say their household’s financial condition has worsened since last year and almost two-thirds (64%) believe the current job market of their region is bad.

So What?

Americans not only have to contend with higher gas prices during summer driving season, but also higher prices for just about everything. It’s no wonder that so many people are dissatisfied with the economic policies of the government. But, one ray of hope is that people do believe that they themselves will be doing better, looking six months ahead. If this sense of optimism fades, people will most likely become even more dour – not just about economic issues, but about so much more.