WASHINGTON (AP) ? A new AP-GfK poll shows that the dark funk that appeared to settle over the country this summer has eased slightly, but the American public remains gloomy about the economy and more than half say President Barack Obama does not inspire confidence in a recovery.
The pessimism is not a good sign for the nation’s recovery hopes and presents a more urgent challenge for Obama as he mounts his re-election bid.
Fewer than a quarter of those surveyed say they think the economy worsened in the past month. That’s down sharply from the nearly half who felt that way in August. Only 41 percent say the government can do much to create jobs, and less than 40 percent say the main elements of Obama’s jobs proposal would increase employment significantly.