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As of January 2024, have two-thirds of Wisconsinites said their personal finances are good and have improved?

By Tom Kertscher
NO

Wisconsin Watch found no public data to support a claim that two-thirds of Wisconsinites say their personal finances are good and have improved.

The statement was made Jan. 25, 2024, by Wisconsin Democratic Party chair Ben Wikler.

The two latest Wisconsin surveys on the issue, from fall 2023, do not back Wikler’s claim.

In a Marquette Law School Poll of registered voters, 51% said they were just getting by (36%) or struggling (15%); 48% said they were living comfortably.

A University of Wisconsin-Madison Survey Center poll found 53% of residents said they weren't certain they could find $400 in an emergency; 19% said they were better off financially than 12 months earlier.

Wikler’s staff cited two national polls.

In a December Harris Poll, 63% of Americans rated their financial situation good or very good. In an August Quinnipiac University Poll, 60% said their financial situation was good or excellent.

This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.
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Wisconsin Watch, the news arm of the nonpartisan, nonprofit Wisconsin Center for Investigative Journalism, increases the quality and quantity of investigative reporting in Wisconsin, while training current and future investigative journalists. Its work fosters an informed citizenry and strengthens democracy.
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