The Experian/Gallup survey noted that while 52 percent of U.S. residents surveyed last fall stated they were better off economically than they were in 2006, the lion's share of that bullish sentiment came from the upper-income brackets.

"With soaring gas and food prices and the potential for a significant economic slowdown/recession this year, no one should be surprised if 'economic populism' strikes a strong chord with the U.S. electorate during the months ahead," Gallup predicted in a statement.

The pollsters said that a sudden rise in such sentiment could cause voters to turn their backs on the Republican and Democratic front runners and stoke the campaigns of dark horses such as Mike Huckabee and John Edwards.

Gallup, which polled 3,057 adults between October and December, said that 67 percent of households with an income above $75,000 considered themselves to be better off while 38 percent of households below $40,000 said they were worse off.