Gallup says consumer confidence is up

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PRINCETON, N.J., April 17 (UPI) -- Researchers at Gallup said the weekly U.S. Economic Confidence Index is near its four-year high, which was posted three weeks ago.

The weekly index, though still negative, has been pushed higher with sharp gains in confidence among Democrats in recent months, Gallup said. Among Democrats, Republicans and independents, the Index now reads minus 19, two points below where it was three weeks earlier, Gallup said.

The Gallup Daily tracking poll taken last week found 42 percent of respondents indicated the economy was getting better and 54 percent indicated it is getting worse.

That left a net score of minus 12, among the least negative scores of the past four years.

For respondents identifying themselves as Democrats, the net score has improved by 41 points since early December. Scores among Republicans rose 12 points and for independents 22 points in the same period, Gallup said.

The survey includes responses from 3,378 adults and carries, with a 95 percent confidence rating, a margin of error of 2 percentage points, Gallup said.