Poll: Economic views bleak but steady

PRINCETON, N.J., May 15 (UPI) -- Attitudes about the U.S. economy are holding steady at fairly pessimistic levels Gallup Poll researchers said Thursday.

Attitudes have been in decline since January, Gallup said. In the latest weekly tracking, however, "Americans' economic mood is stabilizing … albeit at last month's very dismal levels," Gallup said.

In a Gallup survey conducted May 1-13, 86 percent of respondents indicated the U.S. economy is getting worse, almost identical to April's 85 percent average. More than four out of 10 adults indicated the economy was in "poor" shape, equal to April's average, Gallup said.

The percentage of adults who rated the economy "positive" has "nearly vanished" Gallup said, dropping to 7 percent in April and May.

"If there is any good news out of Gallup's daily tracking of Americans' views of the economy, it's that confidence hasn't gotten any worse in May," the report said.

The results of the May survey are based on 6,459 interviews and carries a margin of error of 1 percentage point, Gallup said.