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Business & Economy16 outlets ran this3 min read

US consumer confidence drops to seven-month low

Gas prices remain above $4 per gallon amid conflict in Iran, impacting outlook.

AI-assisted coverage comparison, editor-supervised · How this was made

Published
Shoppers choose a backpack at a Target store, Thursday, Aug. 13, 2026, in Woodbury, Minn. (AP Photo/Ellen Schmidt)

What this story says

  • US consumer confidence fell to 89.4 in August, the lowest level in seven months, down from 90.2 in July.
  • Gasoline prices in the US have remained above $4 per gallon, a factor linked to the ongoing conflict in Iran.
  • Americans' views of their present situation improved, but their outlook for the next six months worsened.
  • The US job market saw employers cut 23,000 jobs in July, with previous months' figures revised down by 103,000.

Who covered it

Left 47%(7)Centre 46%(7)Right 7%(1)

Percentages are shares of the 15 outlets carrying a published leaning rating. 1 of the 16 outlets we know ran this story carry no rating and are not counted in them. Coverage measured .

Trust

42/100

Craft

57/100

Hype

41/100

16 sources · methodology

Thin on the right so far

Only 1 of the 15 outlets with a published leaning rating that ran this story are rated right.

This story is still being watched, so it is a count and not yet a finding. Coverage keeps arriving for hours after an event, and a side that has published nothing this morning may publish by tonight. If it is still true when we stop checking, we will say so plainly.

American consumer confidence declined in August, reaching its lowest point in seven months. The Conference Board reported its consumer confidence index fell to 89.4 from 90.2 in July. This decrease occurred as gasoline prices in the U.S. continued to stay above $4 per gallon, a situation attributed to the ongoing conflict in Iran. While respondents reported an improvement in their views of the current economic situation, their optimism for the short-term future soured.

The U.S. job market also showed signs of weakness. Employers cut 23,000 jobs in July. Furthermore, revisions to previous months' data erased 103,000 jobs from earlier payroll reports. Despite these factors, consumers' views of the current labor market improved slightly, with 27% describing jobs as 'plentiful' in August, up from 24.4% in July. However, expectations for the next six months were more negative, with only 14.6% anticipating more job availability, down from 16.4% in July.

Disagreement on historical context

Associated Press, Rocky Mountain Outlook, The Toronto Star, The Hamilton Spectator, Welland Tribune.ca, and The Winnipeg Free Press reported that consumer confidence has been within the same lukewarm range since the beginning of the year. The Associated Press also noted that readings were consistently above 100 in late 2024 and early 2025. The Globe & Mail's digest mentioned that in late 2024 and early 2025 the consumer confidence index readings were consistently above 100.

What the coverage left out

None of the left-rated, centre-rated, or right-rated reports mentioned the specific figures for respondents' views on their present situation improving or their short-term outlook soured. The left-rated and centre-rated reports did not mention the specific figures for the job market, such as the percentage of respondents who said jobs were 'plentiful' or expected more jobs to be available.

Tags:#ConsumerConfidence#Economy#GasPrices#Inflation#JobsReport#IranConflict

Still developing. We have re-checked which outlets are covering this 1 time, most recently on 25 Aug 2026, 15:30, and will add the sides that appear.

How other outlets pictured it

Which photograph to run is each newsroom’s own choice. The leaning beside a name is that outlet’s published rating, not a claim that the pictures divide along it. Every picture is shown from the outlet’s own server and links to the article it ran in.

Shoppers choose a backpack at a Target store, Thursday, Aug. 13, 2026, in Woodbury, Minn. (AP Photo/Ellen Schmidt)
Associated Press NewsLeft

How each side covered it

Our own reading of the reporting listed below, written from the outlets’ articles rather than quoted from them. The reasoning is set out on our methodology page.

Left

7 rated outlets

  • Reports from the left-rated outlets focused on the decline in consumer confidence and its connection to elevated gas prices. Associated Press, Rocky Mountain Outlook, The Toronto Star, The Hamilton Spectator, Welland Tribune.ca, and The Winnipeg Free Press all highlighted that the ongoing conflict in Iran has kept gas prices above $4 per gallon. Associated Press also noted that the decline in confidence could pose a risk to President Donald Trump and Republicans in the upcoming midterm elections, which are less than 70 days away. This report also detailed the job market figures, including the job cuts in July and revisions to previous months, and mentioned the Federal Reserve's inflation gauge.

Centre

7 rated outlets

  • Centre-rated outlets led with the fall in consumer confidence and the continued high gasoline prices. CTV News, Castanet, The Globe & Mail, The Record, WKMG, and Winnipeg Free Press all reported that confidence fell to its lowest level in seven months as gas prices remained elevated. The Globe & Mail's digest also noted that readings were consistently above 100 in late 2024 and early 2025. Washington Top News mentioned that the ongoing conflict in Iran keeps gas prices steadily above $4 a gallon.

Right

1 rated outlet

  • Seeking Alpha's report focused on the slip in consumer confidence, noting the U.S. Consumer Confidence Index was 89.4 in August, compared to a consensus of 90.1 and a revised 90.2 in July. The digest also stated that the expectations index sank.

Questions about this coverage

How did the left and right cover US consumer confidence drops to seven-month low?
Of the 15 outlets on this story carrying a published leaning rating, 47% are rated left, 46% are rated centre, 7% are rated right. Those percentages are shares of the rated outlets, not of every outlet that ran it, which was 16. The sections above set out what each side emphasised, in its own terms.
Is US consumer confidence drops to seven-month low left or right?
Neither side dominates it. Of the 15 rated outlets on this story, 47% are rated left, 46% are rated centre, 7% are rated right, and no side holds the 70% this site would want before calling a field one-sided. A story is not left or right in any case; the outlets that carried it are what carry ratings.
Is the coverage of US consumer confidence drops to seven-month low biased?
US consumer confidence drops to seven-month low is one event reported by 16 outlets, and this page does not rate the story as biased or unbiased. What it publishes is the spread: which outlets ran it, where named rating organisations place each of them on the spectrum, and what each side chose to lead with. A leaning rating describes an outlet's record over time, not this article, and the two should not be run together.
Which side is not reporting US consumer confidence drops to seven-month low?
When we first saw this story, outlets rated right had barely covered it. Coverage accretes for hours after an event, so that is where to look rather than a verdict — the split above is the current count, and it is the one to read.
Which outlets covered US consumer confidence drops to seven-month low?
16 that we know of, every one of them listed further up this page with a link to its own report and to what we hold on the publisher. Nothing here is a summary of somebody else's summary: the outlets are named so the original reporting can be read.
What is the latest consumer confidence index reading?
The Conference Board's consumer confidence index fell to 89.4 in August. This is down from 90.2 in July and represents the lowest level recorded in seven months.
Why has consumer confidence fallen?
The decline in consumer confidence is linked to elevated gasoline prices, which have remained above $4 per gallon. This situation is attributed to the ongoing conflict in Iran.
How did Americans view their present situation and future outlook?
Respondents' views of their present situation improved in August. However, their outlook for the next six months soured, indicating less optimism about the near future.
What were the latest job market figures?
In July, U.S. employers cut 23,000 jobs. Additionally, revisions to previous months' data erased 103,000 jobs from earlier payroll reports.

Read it at the source

16 outlets, grouped by the leaning a published rating gives them. Every headline links to the original; an underlined outlet name opens our profile of that publisher.

Left

7

Centre

7

Right

1

Not rated

1

How did this read?

About the coverage, not about the story. We do not ask whether you agree with what happened — we have no honest use for that answer.

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