Economic Optimism Index (EOI): State of the Economy 1978-1997

Q Do you think that the general economic condition of the country will improve, stay the same or get worse over the next 12 months?

May 1997-present

Chart: Economic optimism since 1979

Q Do you think that the general economic condition of the country will improve, stay the same or get worse over the next 12 months?

1978 Improve Stay the same Get worse Don't know EOI
  % % % % %
12-13 April 41 37 17 4 +24
13 June 22 33 39 6 -17
11 July 24 33 37 6 -13
August 32 29 34 6 -2
4 September 27 32 34 7 -7
11 September 28 31 32 9 -4
8 November 19 29 45 7 -26

 

1979 Improve Stay the same Get worse Don't know EOI
  % % % % %
30 January-1 February 20 21 53 7 -33
3-5 March 23 26 43 8 -20
August 15 14 65 6 -50
September 14 13 67 6 -53
October 14 14 66 5 -52
November 13 11 71 5 -58

 

1980 Improve Stay the same Get worse Don't know EOI
  % % % % %
January 10 13 74 3 -64
February 12 13 70 5 -58
March 10 14 71 4 -61
April 13 15 68 4 -55
June 17 14 66 4 -49
July 23 12 62 3 -39
August 20 13 63 4 -42
September 20 13 63 4 -42
October 22 14 60 4 -38
November 21 13 62 4 -41

 

1981 Improve Stay the same Get worse Don't know EOI
  % % % % %
January 24 15 58 3 -34
February 22 16 59 4 -37
March 20 16 61 4 -41
April 27 20 49 4 -22
May 21 23 52 3 -31
June 21 23 52 3 -31
July 19 21 54 6 -35
August 26 25 44 5 -18
September 18 23 53 5 -35
October 21 23 51 4 -30
November 21 25 47 5 -24
December 21 26 47 6 -27

 

1982 Improve Stay the same Get worse Don't know EOI
  % % % % %
January 27 29 40 4 -13
February 22 26 49 4 -27
March 33 27 37 4 -4
April 37 24 33 5 +4
May 39 23 33 5 +6
June 38 30 27 5 +8
July 24 29 41 6 -17
August 33 29 33 5 0
September 23 28 45 4 -22
October 31 28 34 7 -3
November 30 29 34 7 -4
December 22 29 43 6 -21

 

1983 Improve Stay the same Get worse Don't know EOI
  % % % % %
January 6-12 25 32 38 5 -13
January 20-26 22 32 43 4 -21
February 3-9 23 27 45 6 -22
February 17-23 26 32 36 6 -10
March 3-9 27 32 36 5 -9
March 17-23 31 32 32 5 -1
April 7-12 34 30 30 6 +4
April 17-23 36 28 30 6 +6
May 5-11 39 29 25 7 +14
General Election June 9
June 16-20 35 29 33 3 +2
July 21-25 28 30 38 5 -10
August 18-22 30 34 32 4 -2
September 22-26 24 33 39 5 -15
October 20-24 25 32 37 6 -12

 

1984 Improve Stay the same Get worse Don't know EOI
  % % % % %
January 5-9 35 32 28 4 +7
February 16-20 28 35 32 5 -4
March 14-20 34 31 31 4 +3
April 15-May 1 31 35 31 4 0
May 24-29 25 35 36 4 -11
June 21-25 23 31 40 6 -17
August 16-20 22 32 39 7 -17
September 17-21 21 30 42 7 -21
October 18-22 20 36 46 8 -26
November 15-19 23 30 40 7 -17
December 6-10 18 32 42 8 -22

 

1985 Improve Stay the same Get worse Don't know EOI
  % % % % %
January 2-7 25 31 38 6 -13
February 19-24 20 29 44 7 -24
March 19-24 21 27 43 8 -22
April 23-28 25 31 36 9 -11
May 21-26 18 30 44 8 -26
June 18-23 19 31 45 6 -26
July 16-21 23 33 38 6 -15
August 13-18 20 34 37 9 -17
September 3-8 19 34 38 9 -19
September 17-22 20 35 39 6 -19
October 15-20 23 33 38 6 -15
November 19-24 25 34 32 9 -7
December 3-8 26 31 38 6 -14

 

1986 Improve Stay the same Get worse Don't know EOI
  % % % % %
January 4-8 24 35 33 8 -9
February 22-26 24 35 33 8 -9
March 22-26 27 32 35 6 -8
April 19-22 29 28 38 5 -9
May 17-21 22 30 40 7 -18
June 20-24 23 34 36 7 -13
July 18-22 24 34 35 7 -11
August 15-19 18 35 40 7 -22
September 19-23 19 37 34 9 -15
October 17-21 19 34 37 10 -18
November 20-26 23 36 33 8 -10
December 27-30 28 33 33 6 -5

 

1987 Improve Stay the same Get worse Don't know EOI
  % % % % %
January 23-28 27 34 29 10 -2
February 20-25 29 32 31 9 -2
March 26-April 2 38 31 22 9 +16
April 24-30 35 32 21 12 +14
General Election June 11
June 25-July 1 44 28 21 7 +23
July 21-28 40 31 21 8 +19
August 21-26 32 35 25 8 +7
September 24-30 33 32 28 7 +5
October 21-26 33 31 25 11 +8
November 19-25 34 31 27 8 +7
December 29-30 37 29 30 4 +7

 

1988 Improve Stay the same Get worse Don't know EOI
  % % % % %
January 22-26 36 33 24 7 +12
February 26-March 1 31 35 27 7 +4
March 24-28 37 29 26 8 +11
April 22-26 37 29 26 8 +11
May 27-June 1 37 32 22 9 +15
June 22-28 32 32 27 9 +5
July 21-25 28 31 33 8 -5
August 18-22 28 26 37 9 -9
September 21-26 22 29 40 9 -18
October 26-31 24 31 37 8 -12
November 25-30 19 26 47 8 -28
December 28-29 20 30 44 6 -24

 

1989 Improve Stay the same Get worse Don't know EOI
  % % % % %
January 26-30 24 30 38 8 -14
February 23-28 22 30 40 8 -18
March 15-19 24 31 38 7 -14
April 20-24 17 28 45 10 -28
May 18-22 20 28 41 11 -21
June 22-27 19 24 49 8 -30
July 20-26 23 27 42 8 -19
August 17-21 22 31 40 7 -18
September 21-26 21 30 39 10 -18
October 19-23 20 25 47 8 -27
November 23-27 18 25 51 6 -33
December 27-28 22 28 46 4 -24

 

1990 Improve Stay the same Get worse Don't know EOI
  % % % % %
January 18-22 17 27 48 8 -31
February 15-19 16 21 54 8 -38
March 15-20 17 18 60 5 -43
April 19-24 17 22 54 7 -37
May 17-21 20 22 51 7 -31
June 13-18 22 24 46 8 -24
July 19-23 23 25 42 10 -19
August 16-20 15 19 58 8 -43
September 20-24 14 17 60 9 -46
October 18-22 24 22 45 9 -21
November 15-19 23 21 47 9 -24
December 27-28 25 24 45 6 -20

 

1991 Improve Stay the same Get worse Don't know EOI
  % % % % %
January 18-21 21 21 51 7 -30
February 22-25 24 19 51 6 -27
March 21-25 36 20 37 7 -1
April 18-22 38 23 33 6 +5
May 24-28 36 21 37 6 -1
June 21-24 31 23 40 6 -9
July 19-22 31 25 38 6 -7
August 23-27 38 24 31 7 +7
September 20-24 40 25 27 8 +13
October 18-21 36 26 31 6 +5
November 22-25 34 30 31 5 +3
December 27 24 31 41 4 -17

 

1992 Improve Stay the same Get worse Don't know EOI
  % % % % %
January 17-21 31 32 32 5 -1
February 21-25 30 31 32 7 -2
March 20-24 30 31 26 13 +4
General Election April 9
April 25-28 43 28 22 7 +21
May 21-26 40 30 22 8 +18
June 19-23 28 36 31 5 -3
July 23-28 21 33 39 7 -18
August 27-September 1 16 30 48 5 -32
September 25-29 20 24 52 4 -32
October 23-27 14 20 60 6 -46
November 27-December 1 18 25 52 5 -34
December 11-15 25 29 41 5 -16

 

1993 Improve Stay the same Get worse Don't know EOI
  % % % % %
January 21-25 24 32 40 4 -16
February 18-22 22 30 43 5 -21
March 25-29 28 30 37 5 -9
April 22-26 39 31 25 5 +14
May 20-24 33 32 30 5 +3
June 24-28 28 32 35 5 -7
July 22-26 35 31 28 6 +7
August 19-23 33 34 28 5 +5
September 16-20 26 35 34 5 -8
October 21-25 24 34 35 7 -11
November 18-22 27 35 32 5 -5
December 9-13 28 32 34 6 -6

 

1994 Improve Stay the same Get worse Don't know EOI
  % % % % %
January 20-24 30 34 33 4 -3
February 24-28 23 36 37 5 -14
March 24-28 23 35 37 5 -14
April 21-25 27 34 34 5 -7
May 19-23 29 37 29 5 0
June 16-20 25 36 34 5 -9
July 14-18 24 38 33 5 -9
August 18-22 29 38 28 5 +1
September 22-26 25 35 34 5 -9
October 20-24 25 39 30 6 -5
November 17-21 27 36 33 5 -6
December 15-19 24 32 40 5 -16

 

1995 Improve Stay the same Get worse Don't know EOI
  % % % % %
January 20-23 23 35 37 5 -14
February 17-20 16 35 43 6 -27
March 17-20 20 37 38 5 -18
April 21-24 19 40 35 6 -16
May 19-22 19 39 37 5 -18
June 23-26 22 39 33 6 -11
July 21-24 18 39 38 6 -20
August 25-28 16 45 33 5 -17
September 22-25 15 40 34 11 -19
October 20-23 19 40 35 5 -16
November 17-20 19 37 37 6 -18
December 1-4 20 39 36 5 -16

 

1996 Improve Stay the same Get worse Don't know EOI
  % % % % %
January 19-22 22 40 33 5 -11
February 23-26 16 38 34 11 -18
March 22-25 20 38 37 6 -17
April 19-22 24 39 30 6 -6
May 23-26 20 43 30 7 -10
June 21-24 25 40 28 7 -3
July 23-28 23 39 32 6 -9
August 20-25 28 39 26 7 +2
September 20-23 26 39 27 8 -1
October 25-28 25 40 26 9 -1
November 8-11 26 41 26 7 0
December 6-9 22 38 31 8 -9

 

1997 Improve Stay the same Get worse Don't know EOI
  % % % % %
January 24-28 25 39 25 11 0
February 21-24 27 39 25 9 +2
March 21-24 24 40 23 12 +1
April 25-28 28 44 15 13 +13
General Election 1 May 1997

Economic optimism trends Since the 1997 election

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