How Americans Really Feel About a Recession, By the Numbers

Do Americans believe a recession is coming in 2020? Survey says: yes. But the full picture is more complicated than that. Although a majority expect a recession in the next twelve months, spending is up, and whether you answer yes or no can depend on how you vote.

As long as American consumers—the lifeblood of the economy—keep spending away, recession speculation is unlikely to turn into reality. Maybe you shouldn’t feel guilty for that $5 coffee after all?

But this means we should keep a close eye on Americans spending habits and their personal economic outlook, especially when considering manufacturing is contracting. That’s why Fortune and SurveyMonkey teamed up to conduct a poll of more than 10,000 Americans.*

Americans are still throwing down money for the latest gadgets and buying big ticket items, however, their outlook of the economy is souring with the majority foreseeing a 2020 recession. And that growing pessimism is something economic onlookers need to watch.

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