This week, 39% of registered voters rate the U.S. economy as Poor, up 3 points from 2 weeks ago but down 3 from a month ago. Meanwhile, 27% rank it as Good or Excellent, the same as 2 weeks ago and 1 point lower than a month ago.
Thirty-six percent (36%) of voters say the U.S. is in a recession, the same as two weeks ago. Thirty-eight percent (38%) say it is not, up 2 points from two weeks ago.
Out of Time?
As noted in a
related article on personal finances, Republicans are running out of time to change voters' economic perceptions. Even if they did, it usually takes about 6 months of good economic news to affect voter confidence. That means time is running out with the elections in November. After showing more optimism over the last month, this setback, though mild, will make things tougher going into the midterms.
Any improvement in the economy should still help Republicans, but may not have as big an impact as the GOP would hope.
Partisan Divide
The data reveals predictable partisan divides. Last week, the number of Democrats rating the economy as Poor dropped 15 point. Most of that ground was lost (either due to a fluke 2 weeks ago or escalation in Iran), and 61% of Democrats now rate the economy as Poor. That is 11 points higher than last week.
Growth or Decline? Where the Economy is Heading
Voter sentiment on the country's economic future has been stable for the last 6 weeks, holding at a net -28. However, that is an improvement from the -37 at the start of June.
This data is from a Napolitan News Service survey of 1,000 Registered Voters conducted online by Scott Rasmussen, July 20-21, 2026. RMG Research, Inc., conducted the field work for the survey. It has a margin of error of +/- 3.1.
