Overview

• Forty-seven percent of U.S. adults say they are not confident they could find a good job if they wanted one, up from 37% in 2023 and 27% in 2021.
• Just 36% approve of President Trump’s handling of the economy, down from 37% last month and 43% in late August, according to recent polling snapshots.
• Sixty-eight percent describe the economy as poor, with groceries a major stressor for 54%, housing for 45%, electricity for 36%, and 63% not confident they could buy a home.
• The AP-NORC survey interviewed 1,289 adults from Oct. 9–13 with a margin of error of ±3.8 percentage points, and it was conducted during an ongoing government shutdown.
• Labor signals have softened, with ADP reporting a 32,000 drop in private-sector jobs last month and separate reporting noting monthly job gains have averaged under 27,000 since April tariff announcements.