LOL, ok there's a few factors at play here.
1: most Americans don't even understand what the economy IS. when you ask them about the economy, they're going to answer w/r/t their personal finances. which, for most Americans, suck.
2: stop looking at the stock market. the stock market has zero to do with how people are faring economically. most Americans don't even own stock.
@dietotaku both these things are on a spectrum. "Most" is false in #1. It's also untrue for #2. Some 58% of Americans own stock directly or in retirement funds. You're right though that at any given moment in time, Wall St doesn't really affect the common person (it does more for retirees).
@hallmarc that poll doesn't specify whether 2023 was a bad year financially or in other personal ways. like, 2023 wasn't a bad year for me personally, but I'm still poor as shit.
also, "or in retirement funds" is doing a lot of heavy lifting there, since people aren't directly picking those stocks or immediately benefiting when it does well. I'd still say the majority of Americans aren't "stockholders" in the traditional sense.