Americans feel better about future: Reuters poll

By John Whitesides, Political Correspondent

MILWAUKEE (Reuters) - Growing confidence in the future and slightly warmer views of President George W. Bush and Congress put Americans in a better mood this month, according to a Reuters/Zogby poll released on Wednesday.

The Reuters/Zogby Index, which measures the mood of the country, rose sharply to 99.3 in February from last month's 94.2, putting it at the highest level since August.

Approval ratings for Bush climbed to 34 percent from 31 percent last month, and positive ratings for Congress inched up from 14 percent to a still-low 17 percent.

Concerns about personal finances, job security, safety and the direction of the country all eased at least slightly in the last month, brightening the outlook for Americans who had slipped into a funk around the holidays.

There were some dark clouds. For the first time, a majority of Americans, 54 percent, expect a recession in the next year, up from last month's 48 percent, as a housing downturn and credit crunch take their toll.

Despite worries about a recession, the number of Americans who think the country is on the wrong track shrank to a still-high 62 percent, down from 68 percent.

"People are adjusting their expectations. They see a recession coming but they still feel better about their future," pollster John Zogby said.

The mood swing followed a month in which Bush and Congress worked together to approve a package of measures designed to give a short-term boost to the economy, while U.S. deaths from the war in Iraq continued to fade from the headlines.