A new poll has found that after several tough years of a pandemic, inflation, and fears about a recession, Americans are not optimistic that things will get better in 2023.
The Gallup poll was released on Tuesday and found that Americans have a negative outlook on the economic, political, and overall future of the United States as the calendar turns over. Overall, the poll looked at 13 different arenas.
The poll found that eight out of 10 Americans think that taxes will not only be higher in 2023, but economic struggles will continue, and the national deficit will increase.
More than 60% of respondents also said that they think prices will rise at a high rate throughout the upcoming year while the stock market falls. Both of which happened in 2022. As for the unemployment rate, roughly 50% think it will increase in 2023, despite remaining low in 2022.
But the poll found that Americans are pessimistic about more than just the state of the nation’s economy. 90% said they think this year will see political conflict, 72% think crime rates will rise across the country, and 56% think labor union strikes will become more frequent.
However, not everyone feels the same, as the poll found that political affiliations played a part in how Americans predict 2023 will turn out.
Among Democrats, 69% think employment will increase, 53% predict a reasonable rise in prices, 53% think the stock market will rise, 56% think the US’s global power will increase, and 79% think Russia’s power and influence will decrease.
Meanwhile, Republicans were found to have more of a negative outlook on the future of the country, with no more than 23% expecting a positive outcome for any of the 13 arenas looked at in the poll.
However, Democrats are not thinking positively about everything, as the poll found that 13% think political cooperation is likely, and 21% think it will be a year free of any international conflict or disputes.
While Americans are going into 2023 with more skepticism than optimism, the poll noted that forecasts from Americans often depict the current climate around them, pointing to the last few years as reasons why respondents predicted issues would continue.
The poll was conducted from Dec. 5-19 and included responses from US adults who are members of Gallup’s probability-based panel.
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