Polls show nation is uninformed

USA Today addressed a recently released Gallup poll in an article published today. The most striking item is the idea that 60% of adults interviewed believe that the economy is worse now than it was five years ago. Five years ago, we were in a recession and had a significantly higher national unemployment rate. In the intervening years, the economy has been growing, stocks are rising, and jobs are being created. The odd thing, though, is that the population as a whole have been stuck with the false perception, despite five years of very good economic news, that things are going poorly. Sure, there are problems in Michigan, but the vast majority of the nation is doing very, very well. Where does the public get this perspective? Could it be from the media, who publishes polls about people's opinions of the economy instead of economic data and who feature negative reports over positive ones?