Almost nine in 10 in the poll say they are doing better or about the same as four years ago. Only 10 percent are doing worse. Those kind of optimistic results often can forecast the outcome of an election. But poll evidence this year has been mixed. More than a third of Democrats like the Bush approach, while about a fourth of Republicans like the Gore approach.
Independents are about evenly split.
Two-thirds in the poll say they are not very worried or not at all worried about the stock market, considering its recent ups and downs. The poll of 811 registered voters was taken Oct. 25-29 and has an error margin of 4 percentage points. A third of Republicans, two-thirds of Democrats and four in 10 independents say their families' financial situations are better now than four years ago. I'm afraid what will happen if Bush comes into office. With such thoughts in mind, the Democrats have been pushing Gore to make the economy his centerpiece in the campaign's waning days and have voiced frustration as he has shifted themes from the economy to Social Security to education and back again.