Edison Research Poll Finds Record Low Economic Anxiety

A new poll indicates fewer Americans describe themselves as anxious about their financial situation than they have in the past three years. Decreases in economic anxiety are across demographics and are most significant among Independents and African-Americans according to the latest Marketplace-Edison Research Poll.

Since 2015, Marketplace and Edison Research have used responses to the poll to develop the Economic Anxiety Index®, a unique measure of the American economy. The number, on a scale from 0-100, is calculated from answers to a battery of questions. The Economic Anxiety Index® describes just how stressed out people feel about their personal financial situation. The higher the number, the more economic stress someone is feeling.

The Economic Anxiety Index® mean score across all demographics for the latest poll is 30. The index has reached an all-time low since its inception in 2015 and has been steadily decreasing since the 2016 presidential election.

Additional Key Findings from latest poll:

• More Americans (78 percent) think tech companies and large financial institutions have a good or great deal of influence on the economy – a higher percentage than those who think the President or Congress do (68 percent for each).
• Nearly three-quarters of Americans (74 percent) are worried about the spread of false information on social media websites like Facebook and Twitter.
• For the first time, immigration outstripped health care as the economic issue Republicans worry about the most. For Democrats and Independents, it continues to be health care.
• More than half of Americans (54 percent) say that the new tax law has not had an impact on them personally. 

Read more about the findings from latest Marketplace-Edison Research poll and the Economic Anxiety Index® at Marketplace.org.