Poll finds steady, discouraging opinions on economy

NEW YORK, Jan. 31 (UPI) —

Opinions about the U.S. economy and its chances for improvement are holding steady at discouraging levels, Harris Interactive said Friday.

In a Jan. 15-20 poll of 2,236 adults, Harris said 28 percent of respondents indicated President Barack Obama was doing a good job handling the economy, while 72 percent indicated he was doing poorly.

The figures are very close to December’s survey in which 29 percent indicated the president was doing a good job when it comes to the nation’s economy, while 71 percent gave him poor marks.

The figures are also consistent and discouraging when people were asked about the economy in general. In January, 26 percent indicated they expected the economy to improve in 2014, compared to 27 percent in December.

Concurrently, 44 percent in January indicated the economy conditions would be stagnant in 2014, similar to the 42 percent figure from the previous month. In addition, 30 percent in January indicated the economy would get worse this year, while 32 percent expressed similar views in December.

Harris Interactive said half of those polled — 49 percent — indicated their household’s finances would remain the same in the first half of 2014, while 29 percent indicated they would grow worse and 23 percent indicated they would improve.

The figures are also little changed from December.

Harris Interactive did not release an estimated margin of error for the figures.

"Because the sample is based on those who agreed to participate in the Harris Interactive panel, no estimates of theoretical sampling error can be calculated," the firm said.