A new poll on Americans' views of the accuracy of government statistics on the economy and employment shows a plurality don't think they're accurate.
The Economist/YouGov poll reported that 46% of Americans "completely or somewhat" don't accept government reports on jobs and the economy, while 42% "completely or somewhat" trust the government numbers. A full 12% said they didn't know what to think about the question.
The poll shows a significant drop in the trust level toward government data. The level of acceptance has dropped 11% since the YouGov pollsters asked the same question in March.
Trust in government statistics became a focal point of President Donald Trump following last week's release of employment numbers by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The report showed lackluster employment gains.
Trump almost immediately fired commissioner Erika McEntarfer and posted that he was looking for the truth."We need accurate Jobs Numbers. I have directed my Team to fire this Biden Political Appointee, IMMEDIATELY. She will be replaced with someone much more competent and qualified."
So far, a new commissioner for the BLS has not been named.
The Economist/YouGov poll on federally generated statistics was launched in the midst of that BLS turmoil. The new survey showed 44% of Americans say the number of unemployed people is undercounted, while 8% feel that the government overcounts that category, and 21% believe the government accurately reports that category.
When looking at political party affiliation, the poll showed that 54% of Democrats think the unemployment number is undercounted, while 32% of Republicans feel that way.
The poll was conducted among 1,702 U.S. adult citizens. Baseline party identification is weighted to the estimated distribution at 31% Democrat, 32% Republican. The margin of error for the overall sample is approximately 3.5%.
Jim Mishler ✉
Jim Mishler, a seasoned reporter, anchor and news director, has decades of experience covering crime, politics and environmental issues.