US consumer confidence hits decade low amid job market concerns
Despite a steady job market, Americans report lowest confidence in over ten years.
AI-assisted coverage comparison, editor-supervised · How this was made
US consumer confidence hits decade low amid job market concerns
Photograph: Washington Top News (embedded from source)
What this story says
- US consumer confidence has dropped to its lowest level in more than 10 years, according to the Conference Board.
- Forecasters expect employers added 90,000 jobs in September, with unemployment remaining at 4.1%.
- More than 28% of respondents expect fewer jobs in six months, double the 14% who expect more.
- Only 17% of US adults approve of President Trump's handling of the cost of living, and 26% approve of his economic handling.
Who covered it
Percentages are shares of the 7 outlets carrying a published leaning rating. Coverage measured .
Trust
60/100
Craft
70/100
Hype
20/100
7 sources · methodology
Thin on the right so far
Only 1 of the 7 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.
Consumer confidence in the United States has fallen to its lowest point in more than a decade, despite a job market that has remained relatively stable. Forecasters anticipate that employers added 90,000 jobs in September, and the unemployment rate is expected to remain at 4.1%.
The Conference Board's index of consumer confidence shows a significant drop this month. A key factor contributing to this decline is the outlook for future employment, with over 28% of respondents expecting fewer jobs in the next six months, a figure double that of those anticipating more jobs. Glassdoor's employee confidence index also reached its lowest point since early 2016 last month.
Public sentiment regarding the economy comes ahead of midterm elections. A poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research indicates that only 17% of US adults approve of President Trump's management of the cost of living, and 26% approve of his overall economic handling, marking a new low for this metric.
Disagreement on job market dynamics
While official numbers suggest a sturdy job market, ordinary Americans are not feeling it. Washington Top News reported that employers are neither laying off many workers nor hiring many, describing it as a "low-hire, low-fire" market. The average unemployed person had been out of work for more than six months in August, the longest stretch since February 2022. The Independent (US) and The Seattle Times also reported on the disconnect between official figures and public sentiment.
What the coverage left out
None of the right-rated digests mention the average duration of unemployment in August, which was more than six months. The left-rated and centre-rated reports also did not include specific details from the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco researchers regarding the shrinking pipeline into employment for young or less experienced workers.
Still developing. We have re-checked which outlets are covering this 5 times, most recently on 2 Oct 2026, 07:00, 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.
US Employment (Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved)
The Independent (US) — embedded from source
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
4 rated outlets
- Reports from The Independent (US), The Seattle Times, The Record, and The Independent all highlighted the stark contrast between the official job market numbers and the low consumer confidence. These reports quoted Glassdoor chief economist Daniel Zhao on employee anxiety and the difficulty jobseekers face. They also noted the low approval ratings for President Trump's handling of the cost of living and the economy, linking public discontent to the upcoming midterm elections.
Centre
2 rated outlets
- Washington Top News and My Mother Lode focused on the discrepancy between the sturdy job market figures and the low consumer confidence. Both reports cited the Conference Board's index and Glassdoor's employee confidence index, noting the longest average joblessness since February 2022. They also included President Trump's low approval ratings for his economic and cost-of-living management.
Right
1 rated outlet
- The Owensboro Messenger-Inquirer digest noted that the US job market has proven sturdy despite various economic shocks. It mentioned that forecasters expect employers to add 90,000 jobs in September and unemployment to remain at 4.1%.
Questions about this coverage
- How did the left and right cover US consumer confidence hits decade low amid job market concerns?
- Of the 7 outlets on this story carrying a published leaning rating, 57% are rated left, 29% are rated centre, 14% are rated right. Those percentages are shares of the rated outlets, not of every outlet that ran it. The sections above set out what each side emphasised, in its own terms.
- Is US consumer confidence hits decade low amid job market concerns left or right?
- Too few of the outlets on this story carry a published leaning rating to say. 7 of them do, and this site does not characterise a field under 12: at that size one newsroom filing moves the share by ten points. The percentages above are the count as it stands.
- Is the coverage of US consumer confidence hits decade low amid job market concerns biased?
- US consumer confidence hits decade low amid job market concerns is one event reported by 7 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 hits decade low amid job market concerns?
- 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 hits decade low amid job market concerns?
- 7 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 current state of US consumer confidence?
- US consumer confidence has dropped to its lowest level in more than a decade, according to an index published by the Conference Board. This indicates a significant decline in how Americans feel about the economy.
- What are the expectations for the September jobs report?
- Forecasters surveyed by the data firm FactSet expect that employers added 90,000 jobs in September. The unemployment rate is anticipated to remain low at 4.1%.
- How do Americans view President Trump's handling of the economy?
- A poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research found that only 17% of US adults approve of President Trump's handling of the cost of living. Just 26% approve of his overall economic handling, marking a new low.
Read it at the source
7 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
4- Confidence about the economy is in short supply despite a relatively solid job market (opens The Seattle Times in a new tab)
The Seattle Times — is The Seattle Times biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Confidence about the economy is in short supply despite a relatively solid job market (opens The Independent (US) in a new tab)
The Independent (US) — is The Independent (US) biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Confidence about the economy is in short supply despite a relatively solid job market (opens The Independent in a new tab)
The Independent — is The Independent biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Confidence about the economy is in short supply despite a relatively solid job market (opens The Record in a new tab)
The Record — is The Record biased? Our profile of this outlet
Centre
2- Confidence about the economy is in short supply despite a relatively solid job market – WTOP News (opens Washington Top News in a new tab)
Washington Top News — is Washington Top News biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Confidence about the economy is in short supply despite a relatively solid job market (opens My Mother Lode in a new tab)
My Mother Lode — is My Mother Lode biased? Our profile of this outlet
Right
1Not rated
0No outlet in this group ran the story.
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