Silver State Times

There have been plenty of challenges presented to the nation during the first year of President Joe Biden being in office, mostly due to rising costs and the ongoing pandemic. A recent McLaughlin and Associates poll found that most Americans have a negative outlook on the president’s job and the state of the economy.

In 2021, Nevada's unemployment rate was among the highest in the country, but in the same year, the state also saw the largest percentage increase in jobs (7.4%) in comparison with the rest of the country, according to information released by the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Gov. Steve Sisolak said the data is a promising trend and points toward an economic rebound.

“The latest data shows that Nevada had the largest gain in jobs over the year,” Sisolak said on Twitter. “We've made great strides and our economy is coming back strong, but there's more work to be done to get Nevadans back on the job.” 

The MacLaughlin and Associates study polled 1,000 likely voters between Jan. 13-18.

It found that 62% of Americans think the economy is getting worse, and 30% say it is getting better. Last year 52% of Americans believed the economy was getting worse, while 42% said it was improving. The survey found that 64% of people in the western region of the country feel that the nation is on the wrong track, with only 34% saying it is in the right direction.

The study also found that 52% believe the country is currently in a recession compared to 40% who do not. When asked in March 2021, less than 50% of Americans felt the U.S. economy was not in a recession.