Americans Continue Positive Feelings About Economy

Americans  optimism about the economy and personal finances continues to increase  but many need to improve their financial behavior , according to a new survey by Chase.

“Consumers continue to have concerns about the general direction of the country and about the economy, but are more optimistic now than just three months ago,” said Caryn Kaiser, general manager, Chase Blueprint.

While it is clear that Americans are increasingly optimistic about their finances, it is even more clear that consumers need support in turning their intended financial behavior into reality.”

Three-in-ten Americans (30%) believe the economy is getting better, up 7 points from before the holidays (23%). A quarter of Americans (25%) believe the economy is at bottom and not getting any better or worse, down from 33% before the holidays.

Americans’ views of their personal financial situation are also showing signs of optimism. While 21% believe their own personal finances are getting worse, a greater percentage believes they have already reached the bottom and are improving (31%). These numbers are down 3 points and up 5 points from before the holidays.

Americans who set plans for their holiday spending still fell short: before the holidays, 92% of those who set or planned to set a holiday shopping budget were confident they would stick to it. In January, 91% of those budget makers insisted that they followed their budget, while the study indicates that only 79% actually hit their target budget.

“We’re encouraged by this research and the positive impact that setting and sticking to a budget can have on spending habits. As the economy continues to improve and optimism rises, we’ll continue to track what consumers say they’ll do and what they actually achieve to see how we can continue to help,” said Kaiser.