The Rasmussen Consumer Index, which measures the economic confidence of consumers on a daily basis, held steady on Sunday at 74.8. Today's reading is up three points from last week but down two points from last month.

Nationally, just 14% of adults give the U.S. economy a good or excellent rating. Over half of adults (53%) give the economy a poor rating.

Women are slightly more pessimistic about the economy. Just 12% give the economy good or excellent ratings, while 56% give the economy a poor rating. Among men, 16% rate the economy good or excellent and 49% rate it as poor.

The Rasmussen Investor Index jumped a point to 91.6. Today marks the third day the Index has been above 90.0 since mid-April. Saturday's index is up six points from last week but down one point from last month.

Among Investors, 18% rate the economy good or excellent. Nearly half (44%) give the economy poor ratings.

Rasmussen Employment Index data released last week shows that just 22% of workers report that their firms are hiring. Twenty percent (20%) say their organization is laying people off.

Separate polling data released Sunday shows that rising food prices have had a big lifestyle impact on 39% of Americans. Most (54%) believe the push for alternative energy sources is driving up food prices.

Sometimes in the day-to-day numbers, it’s difficult to gain a handle on longer-term trends. A month-by-month compilation shows that the Rasmussen Consumer Index fell from 113.4 in April 2007 to 74.8 in April 2008. Most of that decline occurred in the past six months. Prior to the past couple of months, the Index had never fallen below 80.0 at any point in its seven-year history.

Six months ago, in October 2007, 31% of Americans rated the economy as good or excellent. At that time, 30% said the economy was in poor shape. Today, just 15% are willing to say the economy is good or excellent. The number who rate the economy as poor has jumped to 52%. It’s hard to overstate the importance of a workplace environment on perceptions of the economy. Among those who work for a firm that is hiring, 31% rate the economy as good or excellent while 30% say poor. Among those who work for a firm that is laying people off, just 2% say the economy is good or excellent while 72% say it is in poor shape (see full month demographic data for April).

Overall, in April, just 10% said the economy was getting better while 75% say it was getting worse.

Most Americans (52%) now say their own personal finances are getting worse. That’s up ten points from 42% in October.

Last fall, just 34% believed the U.S. economy was in a recession. That figure has jumped to 60% today (although government figures suggest that a recession has not officially begun).

Most investors (51%) now say their investments have lost value over the past year. In October, only 18% reported a decline in their portfolio.

Men remain somewhat less pessimistic than women and Republicans are less pessimistic than Democrats. Entrepreneurs are more upbeat than government employees, private sector employees, or retirees.

Other recently released data shows the same general trend. The COUNTRY Financial Security Index released this week showed that confidence in personal finances has hit its lowest point since the survey began last year.

The Discover Small Business Watch, the Discover Consumer Spending Monitor, and the Rasmussen Employment Index have all fallen to all-time lows.

The Rasmussen Consumer Index and Investor Index are derived from nightly telephone surveys of 500 adults and reported on a three-day rolling average basis. The baseline for the Index was established at 100.0 in October 2001. Readings above 100.0 indicate that confidence is higher than in the baseline month. Detailed supplemental information is available for Premium Members. Historical data for the Consumer and Investor indexes as well as attitudes about the economy and personal finances are also available to Premium Members.

The Rasmussen Consumer Index reached its highest level ever at 127.0 on January 6, 2004. The all-time low was reached April 27, 2008 at 70.1.

The Rasmussen Investor Index reached its highest level ever at 150.9 on January 7, 2004. The lowest level ever measured was 81.3 on March 20, 2008.

The baseline for the Rasmussen Consumer Index was established at 100.0 in October 2001. The current reading of 74.8 that overall levels of economic confidence are lower today than the confidence level in the aftermath of the 9-11 terrorist attacks.