First monthly results of the new FT-Peterson US Economic Monitor show only 35% of Americans feel better off financially than when Trump first became president

4 November 2019: With a year to go until the November 2020 US presidential election, the FT and the Peter G. Peterson Foundation are launching a new monthly poll to track how voters perceive financial and economic issues in the lead up to the election. 

The first set of data from November’s FT-Peterson US Economic Monitor found that only 35 percent of Americans feel they are now better off financially than when Donald Trump first became president. It also found the nation is divided over Mr Trump’s stewardship of the US economy, with 45 percent of Americans feeling that the president’s policies have hurt the economy while 45 percent believing they have helped. The poll also revealed deep concern with America’s fiscal condition, with 63 percent of likely 2020 voters believing that management of the national debt is on the wrong track.

The survey will track voter sentiment on economic and fiscal issues for the twelve months leading up to the 2020 election in order to determine whether Americans feel, in the much-cited political benchmark, “better off than they were four years ago.” It will also test American attitudes towards current events that impact the US economy.

The poll, which was conducted by Democratic polling firm Global Strategy Group and Republican polling firm North Star Opinion Research, surveys an online sample of 1005 likely 2020 voters across socio-economic groups and across the country, and has a margin of error of plus or minus three percentage points at 95 percent confidence level.

It focuses on the state of the US economy and the national debt by examining how these factors affect Americans’ perspectives on their personal financial condition. 
“With so many election polls currently tracking the ups and downs of various presidential candidates, we felt it was important to focus on whether economic issues are having a meaningful impact on voter behaviour,” said FT US managing editor Peter Spiegel, and added, “Donald Trump certainly feels the US economy is the best measure of his performance, and we want to keep tabs on whether most Americans agreed.”

The Financial Times is one of the world’s leading business news organisations, and the FT-Peterson US Economic Monitor is part of its expanding coverage of American economic and financial issues. The Peterson Foundation is a non-partisan, non-profit organization dedicated to addressing America’s fiscal challenges to ensure a better economic future.

More information about the FT-Peterson US Economic Monitor, including its findings and graphics, can be found here.

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Note to editors regarding methodology: 
Global Strategy Group and North Star Opinion Research conducted an online survey of 1,005 likely 2020 general election voters nationwide from October 21 to 25, 2019, with an oversample to reach 754 voters in battleground states. Battleground states include Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, North Carolina, New Hampshire, Nevada, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin. Respondents were verified as registered voters by matching to the voter file. Care was taken to ensure that the demographic composition of our sample matches that of the expected 2020 general election voter population across a variety of demographic variables.

About the Financial Times
The Financial Times is one of the world’s leading business news organisations, recognised internationally for its authority, integrity and accuracy. The FT has a record paying readership of one million, three-quarters of which are digital subscriptions. It is part of Nikkei Inc., which provides a broad range of information, news and services for the global business community.

About the Peter G. Peterson Foundation
The Peter G. Peterson Foundation is a non-profit, non-partisan organization that is dedicated to increasing public awareness of the nature and urgency of key fiscal challenges threatening America’s future, and to accelerating action on them. To address these challenges successfully, we work to bring Americans together to find and implement sensible, long-term solutions that transcend age, party lines and ideological divides in order to achieve real results.

For more information:
Katrina Fedczuk / katrina.fedczuk@ft.com / +1 347 213 1944