Economic Confidence Slips to 17-Month Low, Holiday Spending Plans Weaken

A Gallup survey found households more pessimistic about the economy and sharply scaling back holiday spending plans.
Economic Confidence Slips to 17-Month Low, Holiday Spending Plans Weaken
Shoppers on Black Friday at a mall in Bethesda, Md., on Nov. 28, 2025. Madalina Kilroy/The Epoch Times
Tom Ozimek
Tom Ozimek
Reporter
|Updated:
0:00

A new Gallup poll shows that U.S. consumer confidence deteriorated sharply in November, falling to its weakest level in 17 months as households contended with a protracted federal government shutdown, volatile financial markets, cooling job prospects, and renewed inflation anxiety.

The gloomier mood—reflected in Gallup’s Dec. 4 poll and aligning with several other major sentiment surveys—coincided with a pullback in Americans’ holiday spending plans, raising concerns about softer momentum heading into the final weeks of 2025.
Google LogoMark Us Preferred on Google
Tom Ozimek
Tom Ozimek
Reporter
Tom Ozimek is a senior reporter for The Epoch Times. He has a broad background in journalism, deposit insurance, marketing and communications, and adult education.
twitter