Pessimism Surges as 72% See U.S. Economy on Wrong Course in Poll - Bloomberg

Pessimism Surges as 72% See U.S. Economy on Wrong Course in Poll - Bloomberg: Americans’ pessimism about the economy has deepened and confidence in both political parties has fallen with only 20 percent saying the country is on the right course even as they remain divided over solutions.

Just 9 percent of people say they are confident the economy won’t slide back into recession, in a Bloomberg National Poll. A majority says it will take at least six more years for home values in their community to recover to pre-recession levels.

“This country is going downhill,” says Glenn Davis, 53, a political independent and a factory worker from Lafayette, Indiana. “For regular people like me, it’s hard to get ahead.”

Americans are sending mixed signals on the path forward, according to the poll, conducted Sept. 9-12 by Selzer & Co. of Des Moines, Iowa. While they embrace the need for tough prescriptions to cut the federal deficit, including scaling back entitlement programs such as Social Security and increasing taxes on the wealthy, they balk at many specific spending cuts.