AI-powered
podcast player
Listen to all your favourite podcasts with AI-powered features
Planet Money
Why are we so bummed about the economy?
Dec 1, 2023
Exploring the disconnect between positive economic indicators and negative consumer sentiment, the podcast delves into why people feel negatively about the economy despite favorable trends. It highlights the significance of the Michigan survey in measuring consumer sentiment and explores the impact of constant access to bad news and political polarization. Furthermore, it discusses potential economic explanations for people's feelings, including missing data and pandemic-related issues.
23:54
AI Summary
AI Chapters
Episode notes
Podcast summary created with Snipd AI
Quick takeaways
- Consumer sentiment remains low despite positive economic trends such as job market improvements and decreasing inflation, which has economists puzzled as they try to understand this disconnect.
- Societal and cultural factors, along with political polarization, may be influencing people's economic perceptions and responses, leading to negative feelings about the economy even in objectively better economic conditions.
Deep dives
Disconnect between consumer sentiment and economic reality
For years, consumer sentiment has been a reliable indicator of how people feel about the economy. However, recent data shows a disconnect between sentiment and economic reality. Despite positive economic trends such as job market improvements and decreasing inflation, consumer sentiment remains low. This mystery has economists puzzled as they try to understand why people's perceptions of the economy are not aligning with the actual data. It is unclear whether this disconnect is due to non-economic factors like political polarization and amplified bad news on social media, or if traditional economic measures are missing important factors such as job stability and the impact of expired pandemic relief programs.
Get the Snipd
podcast app
Unlock the knowledge in podcasts with the podcast player of the future.
AI-powered
Discover
highlights
Listen to the best highlights from the podcasts you love and dive into the full episode
Save any
moment
Hear something you like? Tap your headphones to save it with AI-generated key takeaways
Share
& Export
Send highlights to Twitter, WhatsApp or export them to Notion, Readwise & more
AI-powered
podcast player
Listen to all your favourite podcasts with AI-powered features
Discover
highlights
Listen to the best highlights from the podcasts you love and dive into the full episode