Many Americans Fear U.S. Is No Longer World's Top Economy

From Rasmussen Reports and Alliance Defense Fund:

Many Americans Fear U.S. Is No Longer World's Top Economy


Wednesday, September 29, 2010 Email to a Friend ShareThis.Advertisement

Despite a recent report that the United States is no longer technically in a recession, a plurality of Americans still don’t feel good about the country’s economy.



A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that only 35% of Adults still believe the United States has the best economy in the world despite the country's current economic difficulties. (To see survey question wording, click here).



Forty-six percent (46%) disagree and feel the U.S. economy is not the best in the world. Still, that's a six-point improvement from July 2008 when 52% felt that way. Another 19% are not sure.



Investors are more bullish on America, however. Forty-three percent (43%) of investors believe the United States has the world's best economy, compared to 27% of non-investors.



Those who earn over $75,000 per year believe more strongly in the U.S. economy than those who earn less. African-Americans have more confidence in the economy than whites.



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The survey of 1,000 Adults was conducted on September 21-22, 2010 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is +/- 3 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Field work for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC. See methodology.



Although statistics show the United States is still on top, China has just surpassed Japan to grab the number two spot. Eighty-seven percent (87%) of Americans are at least somewhat concerned about the level of U.S. debt now owned by China, including 61% who are Very Concerned.



These findings come at a time when most Americans lack confidence in President Obama’s economic advisers, and half of U.S. voters think he is doing a poor job handling economic issues.



Not only do most adults lack confidence in the president’s economic team, they don’t see eye-to-eye with his policies. Voters continue to have decidedly mixed feelings about last year's $787-billion economic stimulus plan, and they certainly don’t favor a second stimulus plan.



Most voters continue to believe the new health care law will increase the federal deficit.



Nearly half of voters worry about the government reacting too much to the nation's economic problems.



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Rasmussen Reports is an electronic media company specializing in the collection, publication and distribution of public opinion polling information. We poll on a variety of topics in the fields of politics, business and lifestyle, updating our site’s content on a news cycle throughout the day, everyday.



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Scott Rasmussen, president of Rasmussen Reports, has been an independent pollster for more than a decade. To learn more about our methodology, click here.



The survey of 1,000 Adults was conducted on September 21-22, 2010 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is +/- 3 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Field work for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC. See methodology.