For 2014, almost 50% of those surveyed said that their lives will be better, with just 20% saying they will be worse off. Yet, asked for their opinion of how the world economy will fare, the score is almost even, with 32% believing that it will be better, and 30% that it will be worse.
这一现象并不局限于美国。自1977年以来，盖洛普公司每年都会问世界各地的人认为明年是否回避过去的一年生活得更好。对于2014年，近50%的受访者说生活会变得更好，只有20%的人认为会变坏。但是，再被问及世界经济，观点几乎是五五开，32%的人认为会变好，30%的人认为会变坏。