Nearly half of Americans believe their financial security is getting worse, poll finds
Twice as many Americans believe their financial security is getting worse than better, according to an exclusive new poll conducted for the Guardian, and they are increasingly blaming the White House,The poll, conducted by Harris, will be a further blow to Donald Trump’s efforts to fight off criticism of his handling of the economy and contains some worrying findings for the president,Nearly half (45%) of Americans said their financial security is getting worse compared to 20% who said it’s getting better,57% of Americans said the US economy is undergoing a recession, up 11% from a similar poll that was conducted in February,The US is not experiencing a recession, which is typically defined as two quarters of negative growth.
And last week, the US posted far stronger than expected economic growth figures for the summer months,But the pessimism underscores an economically tumultuous year,Americans have reported feeling shaken by Trump’s tariffs, mass government layoffs and a crackdown on immigration,The Conference Board’s measure of consumer confidence has dropped for five consecutive months,The White House has insisted that it’s “bringing our economy back from the brink of ruin”, as Trump said in a mid-December speech.
“Now, under our leadership, [prices] are all coming down – and they’re coming down fast,” the president said,The new Harris poll underscores the sharp differences between political party, gender, race and income that shape how people see the current state of the economy,Republicans scored Joe Biden’s handling of the economy far more harshly than Democrats during his term,The stark divisions between Democrats and Republicans continue to persist,Democrats are almost twice as likely as Republicans to say their financial security is getting worse – 52% versus 27%.
But more concerningly for Republicans, who will have to fight next year to keep their majority in Congress, Trump hasn’t been able to sway independents.A majority (54%) of independents said their financials are worsening, +9% compared with February’s polling.Most independents (58%) also believe the country is experiencing a recession.And more of the blame is being placed on the White House than ever before.When asked to choose between the government or corporations for the question “who is most responsible for any increasing prices”:76% of Democrats said it was government management of the economy, +17% from February’s poll.
72% of independents also pointed to the government, +14% from February.Republicans were less likely to point to the government, with 55% saying it was government (-6% compared to February) and 45% blaming corporate practices.Analysis after the 2024 election showed Trump gain with women and Hispanic voters.But in another worrying sign for Republicans, over the course of his first year, these voters have soured on the economy.While Americans overall have grown more pessimistic this year, women are far less confident about the economy than men.
Nearly two-thirds of women (62%) believe the US is experiencing a recession, +12% from February, compared with 52% of men who believe the same.And half of women (50%) believe their financial security is getting worse while 39% of men believe the same.Stark racial gaps are seen for beliefs on the overall state of the US economy.Two-thirds of Black and Hispanic voters (66% and 67%, respectively) think the US is in a recession, compared with 52% of white voters.The jump for Hispanic voters was +11% from February, the highest jump among any race.
The poll also highlighted what some economists have referred to as the K-shaped economy – the divide in economic sentiment between wealthy Americans, who are the largest beneficiaries of a booming stock market, and everyone else,Of those who are making less than $50,000 a year, 59% said their financial security is getting worse, +13% compared to February’s poll,In comparison, 37% of those making over $100,000 said things are getting worse,This survey was conducted online within the US by The Harris Poll from 11 to 13 December 2025, among a nationally representative sample of 2,180 US adults,
Australian cruise ship stuck off PNG ‘detained’ amid investigation into why it ran aground
A cruise ship that ran aground off Papua New Guinea has been “detained” out of concern it’s unseaworthy “due to potential damage”, amid an investigation into how it became stuck on Saturday morning.The Coral Adventurer remained stuck on a reef off the north coast of Papua New Guinea, about 30km from PNG’s second-largest city, Lae, on Tuesday, as efforts to refloat it continue.No injuries have been reported to the ship’s 80 passengers and 43 crew. The passengers were due to travel back to Australia on a chartered flight to Cairns on Tuesday.Agencies in PNG and Australia have launched investigations into the grounding, with the ship “detained”
Trump says he’d ‘love to fire’ Jerome Powell in latest attack on Fed chair
Donald Trump launched another attack against Federal Reserve chair Jerome Powell on Monday, calling the central banker a “fool” and once again suggesting he would like to fire him.Trump launched his latest attack on Powell during a press conference with Israel’s prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, repeating false claims about the cost of a renovation of the central bank headquarters, and told reporters that he might file a lawsuit against Powell for “gross incompetence”.Trump boasted about what he said was the great state of the US economy, before adding that it was so, “despite the fact that we have a fool at the Federal Reserve.”“I mean, Biden reappointed him. It’s too bad
We must take control of AI now, before it’s too late | Letters
“When the AI bubble bursts, humans will finally have their chance to take back control”, says the headline on Rafael Behr’s article (23 December). I think it’s more likely that when the AI bubble bursts, the creators of the crisis, along with other wealthy economic actors, will be in the rooms with the politicians telling them how to “rescue” us all by transferring wealth in some way from average citizens to the already extremely wealthy. Just like they did during the financial crisis of 2008.We need to be ready with alternative plans. For example, world governments could coordinate to buy, for suitably low prices, majority shares in any crashing tech company that actually produces something useful, ensuring that those shares come with full voting rights
When swiping up doesn’t get you far | Letters
Speaking of odd habits as a result of using technology (Letters, 25 December), I once passed a bus shelter where a mother was waiting with her young child. The shelter had a huge poster of a new mobile phone and the toddler was leaning out of its buggy and desperately swiping the screen of the phone, presumably in the hope of getting cartoons.Ron BaileyNewcastle upon Tyne I read Joanna Rimmer’s letter on this subject and tried to “like” it.Heather BradfordWinchester Which tablet/ebook user hasn’t absentmindedly put their finger on a printed word they don’t know expecting to see the dictionary definition pop up?Tim MartineauWirral, Merseyside I don’t understand why, when reading a physical copy of the Guardian, the page doesn’t scroll when I swipe up. Can this be corrected, please?Geoff Skinner Kensal Green, London I once picked up a pencil to underline something on Wikipedia
Anthony Joshua’s camp confirm two of his close friends died in car crash
The British heavyweight boxer Anthony Joshua has issued a statement after he was injured in a car crash in Nigeria on Monday morning which killed two of his close friends.The former world heavyweight boxing champion was taken to an undisclosed hospital after his car hit a stationary vehicle at about 11am on the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, the Ogun state police commissioner, Lanre Ogunlowo, said. The driver of Joshua’s vehicle was also injured, he added.An official spokesman for Joshua said: “It is with the deepest and most profound sadness that we confirm, following a road traffic accident in Lagos, Nigeria earlier today, the death of Sina Ghami and Kevin ‘Lateef’ Ayodele.“Both were close friends and integral members of Anthony’s team
Luke Littler forced to battle the boos in tense win at PDC World Championship
They say you either die a hero, or live long enough to become the villain. At a feverish and hostile Alexandra Palace, the same crowd that cheered Luke Littler on as a 16-year-old boy now jeers him to victory as an 18-year-old man. The character arc has come full circle; the heel turn complete. He is three matches from retaining his world title, and remains the overwhelming favourite to do so. But from this point, he’s going to have to do it on his own
‘Why should we pay these criminals?’: the hidden world of ransomware negotiations
Louis Gerstner, man credited with turning around IBM, dies aged 83
Nvidia insists it isn’t Enron, but its AI deals are testing investor faith
From shrimp Jesus to erotic tractors: how viral AI slop took over the internet
More than 20% of videos shown to new YouTube users are ‘AI slop’, study finds
How Las Vegas police ended up with a fleet of free Tesla Cybertrucks