Americans are the most optimistic they've been about the economy in almost 10 years


Americans are feeling the best about the U.S. economy that they have since before the 2008 economic collapse, a CNN/ORC poll released Friday has found. A whole 53 percent of Americans said that the economic conditions in the country are good, and optimism has not been that high since September 2007. Just last June, only 45 percent of the population felt positively about the economy.
All in all, it is good news for Obama, who also saw his approval rating bump up to 51 percent. It has stayed consistently at about 50 percent since February, making this his longest period with a majority approval rating since his first year in office. Obama has a 50 percent approval rating on the economy specifically; by comparison, his handling of terrorism is approved by 44 percent, and his handling of the Islamic State in particular by 37.
The CNN/ORC poll was conducted by telephone, reaching 1,001 adults between Sept. 1 and 4. The margin of error is plus or minus 3 points.
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Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.
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