From the New York Times, I'm Sabrina Tavernysee, and this is the Daily.

The American economy, by many measures, is doing better than it's done in years.

But for many Americans, that's not how it feels.

I mean, I get comments from people all the time

that I could stretch a dollar like no one else,

and even though I'm struggling to do it.

Yeah when I'm talking about inflation I'm mostly talking about the cost of groceries.

Milk used to be like a buff 89 a gallon.

It's now 2 89. I'm like saying God I'm lactose intolerant. Their

feeling is pointing to an enduring economic mystery. Why do Americans feel so bad when the economy is so good?

We're kind of just struggling in what's left of the middle class.

Today, my colleague Gina Smylick on a new way to understand the disconnect.

It's Thursday, November 30th. So Gina, we're going to talk today about the economy and how, despite the fact that it's doing quite well,

Americans are feeling pretty badly about it.

So this is a puzzle we spent some time on the show already thinking about.

Two years ago we did a show with our colleague Ben Castleman.

At the time, the economy was still really emerging

from the pandemic.

Inflation was really high.

And the thinking at the time was, you know,

this is a temporary thing.

Americans feel badly about the economy, but it will pass.

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