Poll: Americans’ View on Economy Growing More Negative

Americans are feeling more and more depressed about the state of the economy and President Barack Obama’s handling of it, according to a new poll from Associated Press-GfK.

The amount of respondents who see the economy as “good” totals only 20 percent, down 10 points from February. Two-thirds view the economy as "poor," and about one in seven think it's somewhere in between. Only 22 percent believe the economy improved in the last month, down from 28 percent in February.

Even Democrats are more pessimistic, with just 31 percent of them calling the economy “good,” down from 48 percent in February. The amount of Democrats who are hopeful for economic improvement in the next year slid 10 points from February.

Less than a third of respondents expect their household's economic fortunes to improve in the next year, down from 37 percent in February. That compares to 18 percent who foresee their finances worsening, up from 11 percent in February.

A total of 35 percent of Americans expect the unemployment rate to reverse its recent slide, up from 30 percent in February. Only 18 percent of independents and Republicans see the jobless rate continuing to fall, compared to 40 percent of Democrats.

As for Obama, 52 percent of Americans now disapprove of his handling of the economy, compared to 46 percent who approve. In February, the approval and disapproval numbers were about equal.

Almost two-thirds of Americans — 65 percent — disapprove of Obama's handling of gas prices, up from 58 percent in February. Nearly half, 44 percent, "strongly disapprove." And just 30 percent said they approve, down from 39 percent in February.

These findings come despite a steady decline in gas prices in recent weeks after a surge earlier in the year. The national average for a gallon of gasoline stood at $3.75, down from a 2012 peak of $3.94 on April 1.

Of all the issues covered by the poll, Obama's ratings on gas prices were his worst.