Yellen boasts ‘most Americans’ happy with personal finances, but polling shows otherwise

On Monday, US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen appeared on CNN where she responded to poor economic approval ratings, saying Americans are nonetheless optimistic on a personal level.

“What do you say, Secretary Yellen, to the clear majority of Americans who simply do not believe that the administration is helping them?” asked CNN host Erin Burnett.  

Yellen replied that “it is important to recognize that when they’re asked how are they personally doing, over 70% of Americans say that they’re very comfortable with their financial situation. So, they seem to perceive the economy as a whole as doing less well than they are personally.”

“But most Americans feel good about their own economic situation,” she concluded.

The poll in discussion was commissioned by CNN and as of the end of July 2023, 75% of the nation feels the economy overall is in “poor” shape.

Also on Monday, US gasoline prices reached an almost 10-month higher of $3.85 per gallon, according to AAA.

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