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Survey: Americans' optimism about personal finances at 16-year high

By Clyde Hughes

Feb. 11 (UPI) -- More Americans say they're optimistic about their finances than at any time since the early 2000s, Gallup reported in a new survey Monday.

The survey, the second Gallup has conducted during President Donald Trump's administration, showed 69 percent of Americans expect they will be financially better off next year -- a level last seen 16 years ago, when George W. Bush was president.

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Gallup said the 69 percent figure is the highest in more than 16 years and just two points off the all-time high of 71 percent, set in March 1998 during the second term of President Bill Clinton's presidency. Monday's study noted the level was 66 percent near the end of the Great Recession under President Barack Obama.

The results coincide with multiple positive economic indicators recently. More than 300,000 jobs were added in January, far more than analysts predicted.

Gallup said partisanship appeared to play a role in some Americans' fiscal views.

"Members of most major demographic groups are more likely in 2019 to say their financial situation has improved in the past year than to say they are worse off -- with Democras the one major exception," Gallup wrote.

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"By 37 percent to 32 percent, more Democrats say that compared with a year ago, they are worse off financially rather than better off. However, among some of the key groups that generally vote Democratic, a plurality or majority say they are better off."

The survey said 40 percent of liberals said they're better off, compared to 31 percent who said they were worse off. Sixty-eight percent of Republicans said they're better off while 10 percent said they're worse off

Among conservatives, 66 percent said they're better off than last year, while 57 percent of those with annual incomes exceeding $100,000 said they're better off.

Gallup surveyed more than 1,000 adults in early January, during the government shutdown, and has a margin of error of four points.

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