How Americans think about the economy has changed since Trump won presidency

Washington

DEMOCRATS and Republicans have never been further apart in their expectations for the economy than they are right now.

The Trump presidency appears to have sparked an unprecedented political polarisation in consumer confidence, which is often viewed as a leading indicator for the economy's performance. While Democrats and Republicans have similar beliefs about how the economy is performing at the moment, they are now hugely divided over how it will perform in the future, research shows.

"When we ask them about the economy . . . most Democrats expect a recession over the next year, and most Republicans expect economic growth," says Richard C…