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February 15, 2022 at 05:22 PM
What You Need to Know
- Forty-five percent of respondents said they are optimistic about the economy, while 42% are pessimistic.
- Their biggest concerns are inflation, supply chain disruptions, interest rates and the unemployment rate.
- Twenty-one percent acknowledged making primarily emotional decisions regarding their finances, including 37% of Generation Z investors.
Americans in a new survey from Edward Jones are about equally divided in their views on the state of the U.S. economy.
Forty-five percent said they are optimistic about the direction of the economy, while 42% are pessimistic. Respondents’ top concerns:
- Inflation: 83%.
- Supply chain disruptions: 77%.
- Employment rate: 71%.
- Interest rates: 71%.
According to the survey, the more worried respondents said they are with economic conditions, the bigger the effect those concerns have on their financial decisions. Forty-one percent said they have considered the rate of inflation when making financial decisions in the last nine months.
“Americans have certainly been faced with disruptive conditions over the past year,” Mona Mahajan, senior investment strategist at Edward Jones, said in a statement.
“While we may see increased levels of market volatility in this backdrop, we believe economic fundamentals remain solid; it’s important to not let fear, anxiety or even excitement about markets derail long-term goals and thoughtfully considered financial strategies.”
Morning Consult conducted the survey in early January among a national sample of 2,200 adults.
Emotional Investing
Seventy-nine percent of respondents said they have carefully planned their financial decisions over the past nine months despite economic uncertainty stemming from the pandemic.
Still, 21% acknowledged making primarily emotional decisions regarding their finances, including 37% of Generation Z investors.
