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).
@dietotaku notice that the percentage of people who say their personal finances are ok or better is well over 50% for all political stripes. Republicans however have a dim view of the country's economy which can be explained by the negative drumbeat in all sorts of media, including the NYT.
@hallmarc as the NYT poll showed, Republicans' view of the economy contrasting with their personal fortunes is entirely political. "my guy's not in charge, so everything sucks." they could be filing for bankruptcy and they'd say the economy is great if a Republican was in the White House. it's all propaganda for them.
@dietotaku yep.