Negative campaign ads affect economy

With an election in full swing, Thurston County households are being exposed to negative campaigning about the current economy.   That may explain what they appear to have taken a more cautious and fearful stance about the immediate future.

That’s the finding of Dr. Riley Moore, associate professor of Economics, School of Business at St. Martin’s University.

Dr. Moore has just completed a third quarter assessment of the county’s economic climate from both the demand and supply side and found that most major indices have dropped significantly over the second quarter of the year.

His report found however, that residents continue to feel that there are good deals to be found on large expenditure items such as houses, automobiles and major appliances, as long as there is financing available.  But 85 percent of the respondents felt that this was a bad time to sell a home.

And, while there is some good news in that more people have positive responses rather than negative, the current election is causing some anxiety.   “It would appear that Thurston County residents and businesses have taken more of a wait and see stance for this quarter,” Moore said.

The full report can be accessed at the Thurston County EDC web page.