Americans pessimistic about US in 2023: survey

Americans are pessimistic about the country in 2023 and have little expectations of the economy, a web survey found.

Most people believe the conditions in 12 of 13 economic, political, societal and international arenas would be negative, according to a Dec 5-19 nationally representative web survey of US adults who are members of Gallup's probability-based panel.

About 80 percent of US adults think they will face economic struggles in 2023, with higher taxes and a growing budget deficit, the survey found, and nine in 10 expect political conflict in the country. Regarding world affairs, 85 percent believe the year will be fraught with international discord, while 64 percent believe the US will have less power in the world.

"In 2022, confidence in the economy remains among the worst readings measured since the Great Recession," the Gallup report added. The biggest reason is the inflation, the highest in more than 40 years, leading to most people having financial hardship in their household.

According to the report, 72 percent Americans believe the crime rate will rise, and 56 percent believe there will be many strikes by labor unions.

Gallup has been doing research about Americans' predictions for the coming year intermittently since 1960, and the historical data shows their opinions are largely dependent on their views of the domestic and international climates at the time.