CBS News poll finds Americans describe “uncertain” economy as its ratings tick slightly back down

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Heading toward fall, Americans are continuing to rate the U.S. economy negatively, as most pick “uncertain” and “struggling” to describe

September 4, 2025 WOL

Heading toward fall, Americans are continuing to rate the U.S. economy negatively, as most pick “uncertain” and “struggling” to describe its current state. Ratings dipped again slightly over the last month.

A third of Americans pick the descriptors “rebounding” or “expanding.” (Respondents could pick multiple words.) And more than twice as many said “unfair” as “fair.”

Positive views of the economy have been hovering in a range in the 30s all year. They had ticked up slightly toward the end of July, though today it’s above the low hit back in the winter.

Behind those views is much the same story as it has been for a while: Prices. Two-thirds say prices are still going up and, perhaps more importantly for outlook, two-thirds expect them to keep going up, at least a little.

Americans’ ratings of their personal financial situations are somewhat connected to perceptions of price changes. People who say prices are going up are more likely to describe their own situation as bad, more so than people who say prices are holding steady.

Otherwise, personal finance ratings are much the same story as it has been: those with higher incomes say it’s better for them personally.

There is some partisanship perception mixed in here, as often is the case in economic evaluations. Republicans are less likely than Democrats and independents to report that prices around them are going up. That said, none of the partisan stripes say prices are going down.

On the outlook overall, a majority continue to say the economy is getting worse, as opposed to better. Around a quarter continue to think there will be a recession.

This CBS News/YouGov survey was conducted with a nationally representative sample of 2,344 U.S. adults interviewed between August 29 – September 2, 2025. The sample was weighted to be representative of adults nationwide according to gender, age, race, and education, based on the U.S. Census American Community Survey and Current Population Survey, as well as 2024 presidential vote. The margin of error is ±2.3 points.

Anthony Salvanto, Ph.D., is CBS News’ executive director of elections and surveys. He oversees the CBS News Poll and all surveys across topics and heads the CBS News Decision Desk that estimates outcomes on election nights

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