As President Bush prepares for his Jan. 28 State of the Union address, Americans are growing more pessimistic about the economy and more critical of the president's handling of it. Just three-in-ten expect economic conditions to improve over the next year, a significant decline from last January when 44% expressed economic optimism.
Positive ratings of Bush's job performance on the economy have fallen to 47%, from 60% last January. Political independents stand out for their negative views: Barely a quarter of independents (27%) believe the economy will improve and only about four-in-ten (42%) approve of Bush's handling of the economy.
The latest Pew Research Center survey shows that Americans continue to attach more importance to the State of the Union speech than they did before the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. Terrorism and the economy remain the public's top policy priorities, while other issues have faded in importance. Crime and the environment, in particular, are seen as much lower priorities now than before 9/11.
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