How Are U.S. Residents Managing Their Finances?

February 5, 2024

Every month, we conduct a survey of U.S. residents to explore their views on the economy, finances, and the government. This month, our survey was conducted between January 26 and 28, 2024.

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Download the report to learn more.

Some of the key highlights on the U.S. economy include…

  • Concerns surrounding the U.S. being in a recession are consistent with levels observed over the past few months, with more than half (55%) agreeing the U.S. is currently in a recession. 

While concerns surrounding financial stability are increasing

  • Half (49%) say they are living paycheck to paycheck, an increase of 6 points compared to last month (43%).
  • 43% of U.S. residents who are currently employed are concerned about losing their job in the next 12 months. 

Some of the key highlights on U.S. politics include…

  • Donald Trump and Joe Biden are virtually tied in voting intentions. If the Presidential election were to be held today, decided voters indicate Trump would secure 45% of the votes and Biden would secure 44%.
  • Donald Trump remains the preferred Republican candidate for president in 2024, receiving  73% of support from Republican voters, while his only rival still in the race, Nikki Haley, is preferred by 13% of the Republican voters.
  • Additionally, Republican voters would prefer Donald Trump’s vice president running mate to be Vivek Ramaswamy (20%), followed closely by Ron DeSantis (17%).
  • A third of U.S. residents (34%) think that Donald Trump should be the Republican candidate even if he is convicted and imprisoned.
  • This sentiment is driven by Republican voters (63%), and almost the same proportion (64%) of Republican voters would still vote for Trump if he were found guilty and imprisoned following one of his trials.
  • A third of U.S. residents (34%) think the 2024 presidential elections will take place peacefully, while the majority (66%) think there will be disturbances, protests, and civil disobedience.
  • Those who voted for Trump in 2020 are more likely to think that the election will be peaceful than those who voted for Biden in 2020 (39% vs 29%, respectfully).
  • In turn, those who voted for Biden in 2020 are more likely to think there will be disturbances than those who voted for Trump in 2020 (71% vs 61%, respectively).

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