![](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/BCU_728x440_Brandmint_MS.jpg\"\/)
<\/a> <\/p>\n\u201cNew Yorkers are narrowly pessimistic on the future of the nation\u2019s economy,\u201d said Travis Brodbeck, associate director of data management at Siena College Research Institute. \u201cAcross the state more residents are telling us that they are falling behind than getting ahead, with almost half treading water.\u201d<\/p>\n
The statewide survey, conducted from June 25 to July 2 among 921 residents, paints a picture of economic anxiety, especially among lower-income households. Fifty-three percent of those earning under $50,000 believe the country\u2019s best days are gone, and the same share say they are falling behind financially.<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/siena-poll-july-19-2025-economy.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
Overall, 32% of respondents said they are falling behind, 48% are staying even, and only 20% are getting ahead. Among those who said they are getting ahead, 71% believe the country\u2019s challenges are temporary. But of those falling behind, 63% said the best days are behind us.<\/p>\n
Confidence in leadership was also low. Sixty percent of New Yorkers said they lack faith in the federal government\u2019s ability to guide the nation out of economic trouble. An identical 60% expressed no confidence in President Trump\u2019s leadership on the economy.<\/p>\n
\u201cMajorities lack confidence in the government\u2019s or the President\u2019s ability to navigate current economic challenges,\u201d Brodbeck said.<\/p>\n
The poll also exposed sharp partisan divides. While 66% of Republicans said they are optimistic about their financial future, only 49% of Democrats and 51% of independents shared that view. Similarly, 32% of Republicans said they are getting ahead financially, compared to just 17% of Democrats and 14% of independents.<\/p>\n
Confidence in Social Security, Medicare, and retirement security also varied by party and income. For example, 89% of retirees earning more than $100,000 said they have enough money to maintain their quality of life, while only 41% of retirees earning under $50,000 said the same. Among non-retirees, 68% of those earning over $100,000 were confident about retirement, but just 31% of lower-income respondents felt that way.<\/p>\n
Economic pressures have led many to adjust their lifestyles. At least 60% of respondents reported cutting back on entertainment, planning expenses, watching energy use, using coupons, or switching to lower-quality goods. Those earning under $50,000 were more likely to make changes, such as delaying medical appointments or major purchases.<\/p>\n
The report also noted that 53% of New Yorkers have researched Social Security benefits, 46% have looked into Medicare, and 61% have contributed to a retirement account such as a 401(k). Yet among those not yet retired, only 52% said they are confident they\u2019ll have enough money to maintain their quality of life once they stop working.<\/p>\n
\u201cCompared to Democrats, Republicans are more likely to say they are getting ahead, more optimistic on the future of their finances, and more confident that they will get Social Security benefits,\u201d Brodbeck said. \u201cAnd with Republicans in charge of Congress and the White House, Empire State Republicans have significantly more confidence in both the United States Government\u2019s and President Trump\u2019s ability to lead the nation out of current economic difficulty.\u201d<\/p>\n
Get the latest headlines delivered to your inbox each morning.\u00a0Sign up for our Morning Edition to start your day<\/a>. FL1 on the Go! Download the free FingerLakes1.com App for iOS (iPhone, iPad)<\/a>.<\/p>\n FingerLakes1.com is the region\u2019s leading all-digital news publication. The company was founded in 1998 and has been keeping residents informed for more than two decades. Have a lead? Send it to [email\u00a0protected]<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"A growing number of New Yorkers believe the nation\u2019s best economic days are in the past, with widespread…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":24930,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[36],"tags":[28,101,1867],"class_list":["post-24929","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-economy","tag-business","tag-economy","tag-top"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24929","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=24929"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24929\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/24930"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=24929"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=24929"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=24929"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/FL1-01-LOGO-2022-V01-250x250-newer.png\"){kind=logo}
<\/a><\/p>\n