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.
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