Many report economic anxiety and spending shifts during election season

The Ipsos Consumer Tracker asks Americans questions about culture, the economy and the forces that shape our lives. Here's one thing we learned this week.

Why we asked: In an election this close, there’s bound to be a lot of anxiety. But is that impacting how we spend at all?

What we found: Generally, there’s not a lot of evidence that elections change spending too much. Consumer confidence tends to pause in a periods around elections, but given America’s generally low voter turn-out, many aren’t phased by elections one way or another. Is this year different or are people over-estimating the impact on their behaviors? But nearly half say they are spending less (47%) and saving more (47%) due to the uncertainty. Half say the election has no impact on their spending. Republicans were more likely to say that if their preferred candidate loses it will be bad for the economy than Democrats (76% to 60%). And one third said that the winner won’t have an impact on the economy.

More insights from this wave of the Ipsos Consumer Tracker:

One in ten think the Supreme Court will decide the Presidential election

The shifting political landscape of what we trust

People with higher incomes have more expectation of generational wealth

Fewer think AI is coming for white collar jobs 

The Ipsos Care-o-Meter: What does America know about vs. what does America care about?