# Right track, wrong track poll

News · Heat 4.4 / 10 · 2 shows · 7m airtime

A weekend poll released in mid-October 2026 found 29 percent of Americans saying the country is on the right track and 71 percent wrong track, with 82 percent saying their personal finances are worse than a year ago against 18 percent better. The discussion treats the personal-finances question as unusually free of partisan tinge and asks whether the real economy is worse than the macro numbers suggest, citing negative real wage growth, higher interest rates and gas prices.

Page: https://boilpoints.com/point/right_track_wrong_track_poll_4145753869

## Segments

- [The Bulwark Daily](https://boilpoints.com/u/thebulwarkdaily), 2026-10-19, 27:57 to 31:35: **Reads the 82 percent finances number**. Reads the weekend right-track/wrong-track poll closely, treating the 82 percent personal-finances question as the least partisan number in it, and argues real wages, rates and gas prices make the economy worse than the macro figures suggest. New angle: A weekend poll has 82 percent saying their finances are worse than a year ago, against 18 percent better.
- [The Fox News Rundown](https://boilpoints.com/u/thefoxnewsrundown), 2026-10-30, 19:18 to 22:19: **Explains the wrong-track and price-level gap**. Explains why the wrong-track and personal-finances numbers look the way they do: people live in absolute price levels, so a $50 pot of chili or a $100 fill-up stings regardless of wage gains. Notes the falling savings rate, rising credit card debt and record stock and home equity, but adds no new figure to the poll itself.