The pandemic has broken a closely followed survey of sentiment
Americans’ opinions about the state of the economy have diverged from reality
Americans are gloomy about the state of the economy. Since the covid-19 pandemic began, consumer sentiment has been in the doldrums, hitting its lowest level ever in June 2022. Such negativity has prompted claims that the country is suffering a “vibecession”—although the market appears healthy, good vibes are lacking.
Explore more
This article appeared in the Graphic detail section of the print edition under the headline “Bad vibrations”
Chart sources: University of Michigan; FRED; The Economist
Graphic detail September 9th 2023
More from Graphic detail
![](https://www.economist.com/cdn-cgi/image/width=1424,quality=80,format=auto/content-assets/images/20240907_WOT040.png)
Two charts assess Donald Trump’s distinctive debate style
Johnson, our language columnist, compares Trump-speak with Harris-ese
![](https://www.economist.com/cdn-cgi/image/width=1424,quality=80,format=auto/content-assets/images/20240907_WOT024.png)
Three charts show that America’s imports are booming
Here’s why that could spell trouble
![](https://www.economist.com/cdn-cgi/image/width=1424,quality=80,format=auto/content-assets/images/20240831_WOT971.png)
What makes Europe so liveable?
Insights from the city liveability index
Why do Australians live so long?
A new study finds they far outlive people in other English-speaking countries
Has Ukraine’s shock raid successfully diverted Russian forces?
Insights from our war tracker
The best, and worst, American cities for upward mobility
A ranking of 50 metropolitan areas shows that the land of opportunity is far from even