Today 73 percent of Americans say the economy is in good shape, 7 points below January’s record but nearly double the 14-year average. Sixty-six percent say their own finances are good and 52 percent say it’s a good time to buy things, both also strong.

Consumer Confidence Since December 1985
	Today	Highest	Lowest	Average
National Economy	73%	80%	7%	39%
Personal Finances	66	70	42	56
Buying Climate	52	57	20	38

     INDEX — The ABC/Money Consumer Comfort Index, based on these ratings, stands at +27 on its scale of +100 to -100. It has averaged +30 this year, 2 points above its record 1999 average. Its lifetime average, which was depressed in the early 1990s, is -11.
    

ABCNEWS/Money Index
Today	+27
Last Week	+27
Jan. 16, 2000	+38 (Record High)
2000 average	+30
1999 average	+28 (Best full year)
1992 average	-44 (Worst full year)
Feb. 9, 1992	-50 (Record low)
Average since 12/85	-11

     GROUPS — As usual, confidence is higher among better-off Americans: The index is +59 in higher-income households, compared to -23 in the lowest income households. It is at +45 among college graduates but -8 among high-school dropouts. The index stands at +31 among whites but -1 among blacks, and it is +34 among men compared to +21 among women.
     Here’s a closer look at the three components of the ABC/Money index:
     NATIONAL ECONOMY — The poll asks: Would you describe the state of the nation’s economy these days as excellent, good, not so good or poor? Seventy-three percent say excellent or good, the same as last week. The record, 80 percent, was set on Jan. 16. The worst rating was 7 percent in late 1991 and in early 1992.
     PERSONAL FINANCES — The poll asks: Would you describe the state of your own personal finances these days as excellent, good, not so good or poor? Sixty-six percent say excellent or good, the same as last week. The record, 70 percent, was originally set Aug. 30, 1998, and last matched in January. The worst was 42 percent, on March 14, 1993.
     BUYING CLIMATE — The poll asks: Considering the cost of things today and your own personal finances, would you say now is an excellent time, a good time, a not so good time or a poor time to buy the things you want and need? Fifty-two percent say excellent or good, unchanged from last week. The record, 57 percent, was set on Jan. 16, 2000. The worst rating, 20 percent, was set in fall 1990.

Methodology
The ABCNEWS/Money magazine Consumer Comfort Index represents a rolling average based on telephone interviews with about 1,000 adults nationwide each month. This week’s results are based on 1,048 interviews in the month ending April 30 and have an error margin of plus or minus 3 percentage points. Field work was done by ICR-International Communications Research of Media, Pa.
     The ABC/Money index is derived as follows: The negative response to each index question is subtracted from the positive response to that question. The three resulting numbers are then added and divided by 3. The index can range from +100 (everyone positive on all three measures) to -100 (all negative on all three measures). The survey began in December 1985.