---
title: "Democrats (Not) Rating the Economy Good"
description: "Virtually no Democrats (2%) currently rate the nation's economy as good or excellent, but Republicans are scarcely more upbeat. "
date: "2008-10-08"
authors:
  - name: "Russell Heimlich"
    job_title: "Former web developer"
    link: "https://www.pewresearch.org/staff/russell-heimlich/"
url: "https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2008/10/08/democrats-not-rating-the-economy-good/"
---

# Democrats (Not) Rating the Economy Good

Virtually no Democrats (2% in a new Pew survey) currently rate the nation’s economy as good or excellent, but Republicans are scarcely more upbeat. The share of Republicans rating economic conditions as excellent/good has fallen from 70% in November 2006, to 46% in September 2007, to 14% today. As a result, the partisan gap on this issue has steadily diminished. At the time of the 2006 mid-term elections, the condition of the economy was a partisan issue with 70% of Republicans calling conditions excellent or good compared with only a quarter (25%) of Democrats. Overall, the proportionof the public rating the economy as poor has risen by 15 points, from 50% in July to 65% currently. A large majority of Americans continue to say that the economy is either in a recession (56%) or a depression (21%). Partisan differences in views about whether the economy is in a recession also have narrowed: currently, 60% of Democrats and 54% each of independents and Republicans say the economy is in recession. [Read More](https://www.pewresearch.org/pubs/975/obama-boosts-leadership-image-and-gains-significant-lead-over-mccain)