U.S. Consumer Confidence at Worst Since 2011: IPSOS

Consumer confidence is now the worst it’s been since 2011, with the LSEG/Ipsos Primary Consumer Sentiment Index sitting at 45.2. It’s also a one-month drop of 5.3 points, the second-largest on record for Ipsos.

The polling group notes "Americans’ confidence in the economy has been bad since the Iran war began, flirting with levels not seen since COVID. Now the bottom has dropped out," and adds:

"That’s potentially bad news for the Republican party in next week’s midterm elections, which will shape the American political and regulatory landscape for the next two years. For years, the Republicans were perceived as being the party that was better on the economy; today, that has flipped.

"A new ABC News/Washington Post/Ipsos poll shows that 37% of Americans trust the Democratic party more on the economy compared to 28% who trust Republicans, while the two parties were tied as recently as July. That comes as 59% of Americans would rather see the next Congress controlled by Democrats, to act as a check on President Donald Trump.

In comparison, Democrats and Republicans ran about even on the economy in July 2026, when 33% trusted Democrats more and 34% trusted Republicans more."

Some 75% of American described the nation’s economy as poor or not so good and 25% described it as excellent or good. In addition, a plurality of Americans (48%) say they are not as well off financially as they were when President Donald Trump became president in January 2025 (15% better off, 36% about the same).

The poll, conducted just under a month before the 2026 congressional elections, also finds that 59% of Americans would rather see the next Congress controlled by Democrats, to act as a check on Trump, compared to 35% who prefer the next Congress be controlled by Republicans, to support Trump’s agenda.

Of course, national surveys cannot be used to reliably predict the outcome of any election, since elections in the U.S. are decided congressional district by congressional district and state by state. Still, they provide a broad view of American thinking.

When it comes to election administration, two in five Americans (38%) surveyed say they are not confident that the 2026 midterms will be conducted fairly and accurately, compared to 61% who are.

The survey also explored views of President Donald Trump’s job performance, finding that 33% approve and 66% disapprove of the way Trump is handling his job as president.