Opinion: New poll identifies clear way to distinguish Barack Obama backers from John McCain’s

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When it comes to rating the economy, there is no wavering among Americans, as reflected in the findings of a new L.A. Times/Bloomberg poll: 81% say it is doing either ‘fairly badly’ or ‘very badly.’

That’s up from 76% in a comparable August poll, with the uptick coming in the ‘very badly’ category. A month ago, 44% characterized the economy that way; now, the number is 52%.

In other words, more than half of all Americans essentially currently see the economy as in the tank.

Attitudes were less dire when those surveyed characterized their personal economic situation. And the responses to this question, as The Times’ Doyle McManus notes in his story on the poll, showed a clear correlation to preferences in the presidential race.

When asked whether they felt less secure financially than they did six months ago, exactly 50% of the respondents said yes while 49% said no (most of these said they felt no different, with a relative handful saying they were in better shape).

Among those feeling less secure, a solid majority favored Barack Obama, while about a third backed John McCain. The candidate leanings were almost precisely reversed among those who did not view their finances as shakier than they were in the spring.

-- Don Frederick