As summer begins, there are signs of a modest improvement in public sentiment about the U.S. economy.

According to data from the SSRS Opinion Panel Omnibus, the proportion of Americans who rate the national economy as “bad” has declined from 57% in March 2025 to 49% in June 2025. Despite this decline, negative perceptions remain widespread—approximately half of Americans continue to view the economy in negative terms, while only about one in four (23%) currently describe it as “good.”

Although there is a directional decrease in the share of Americans expressing concern about the national economy, this change is not statistically significant. In March, 78% of respondents reported feeling “very” or “moderately” worried about the U.S. economy. This figure dipped slightly to 74% in June, suggesting that concern remains elevated.

Public expectations for the future also remain cautious. The belief that the country is heading toward a recession continues to be widely held. In March, 61% of Americans agreed with the statement that the U.S. is on a path toward recession. This view remained nearly unchanged in June, with 58% in agreement—an indication of sustained economic anxiety.

Notably, demographic differences in economic perception persist. White, non-Hispanic Americans are the only racial or ethnic group to show a statistically significant decline in negative evaluations of the economy. Between March and June, the proportion of White, non-Hispanic respondents rating the economy as “bad” dropped by 13 percentage points. By contrast, the decline among Black, non-Hispanic respondents was only 4 percentage points, while ratings among Hispanic Americans remained relatively unchanged, increasing by 1 percentage point.

Personal Finances Steady, but Anxiety Around Cost of Living Grows

Despite persistent concern about the broader economy, Americans’ assessments of their own financial situations have remained relatively stable. In both March and June, 42% of respondents rated their personal finances as “good,” while approximately one in four described their situation as “bad” (26% in March; 27% in June). However, indicators of personal financial anxiety are on the rise.

There was a directional, though not statistically significant, increase in the proportion of respondents expressing concern about their personal finances, from 58% in March to 62% in June. Similarly, worry about the cost of living rose slightly from 75% to 78% during the same period. Of note, there was a statistically significant 6-point increase in the percentage of Americans who say they are “very worried” about their cost of living

Although a plurality of Americans rate their financial situation positively, many are taking concrete steps to curb their spending.  The most frequently cited strategies include efforts to cut utility bills (61%), adjusting grocery purchases to stay within budget (52%), reducing discretionary spending on entertainment to afford necessities (49%), and dining out less frequently (49%).

A second tier of cost-saving behaviors includes reducing travel (38%), canceling streaming subscriptions (38%), driving less to save on fuel (36%), and deferring necessary expenses such as home repairs (34%), car repairs (32%), or healthcare services (29%). Less common, though still notable, actions include liquidating or reducing investments (18%) and not filling a prescription recommended by a healthcare provider (14%).

Want more insight?

Read the blog post from SSRS VP,  Jenny Berg 

Methodology

Wave 2 of this study was conducted by SSRS on its Opinion Panel Omnibus platform. The SSRS Opinion Panel Omnibus is a national, twice-per-month, probability-based survey. Data collection was conducted from June 6 – June 10, 2025 among a sample of 1,029 respondents. The survey was conducted via web (n=999) and telephone (n=30) and administered in English (n=1,004) and Spanish (n=25). The margin of error for total respondents is +/-3.5 percentage points at the 95% confidence level. The design effect is 1.29. All SSRS Opinion Panel Omnibus data are weighted to represent the target population of U.S. adults ages 18 or older.  View the questions used for this analysis, along with the responses (topline) >>

The SSRS Opinion Panel Omnibus is conducted on the SSRS Opinion Panel. SSRS Opinion Panel members are recruited randomly based primarily on nationally representative ABS (Address Based Sample) design (including Hawaii and Alaska). ABS respondents are randomly sampled by Marketing Systems Group (MSG) through the U.S. Postal Service’s Computerized Delivery Sequence File (CDS), a regularly updated listing of all known addresses in the U.S. For the SSRS Opinion Panel, known business addresses are excluded from the sample frame. Additional panelists are recruited via random digit dial (RDD) telephone sample of cell phone numbers connected to a prepaid cell phone. This sample is selected by MSG from the cell phone RDD frame using a flag that identifies prepaid numbers. Prepaid cell numbers are associated with cell phones that are “pay as you go” and do not require a contract.

The SSRS Opinion Panel is a multi-mode panel (web and phone). Most panelists take self-administered web surveys; however, the option to take surveys conducted by a live telephone interviewer is available to those who do not use the internet as well as those who use the internet but are reluctant to take surveys online.