ANGIE MILES: Do you feel that you are a pocketbook voter?

Is the economy your number one thing?

And to what extent do you think other people vote really just based on how they're doing economically?

DAVE HEILBERG: I think we overrate the role of any president in being able to control the economy, especially after only four years in office.

What I do see is the real world.

And I had to fill up my tank yesterday.

And over in Charlottesville and that side of the Blue Ridge, you can fill up for as low as $2.93 a gallon.

So in the real world, there is definitely easing of inflation.

It's not just bookkeeping from the federal government.

PATRICK FITZ: Unfortunately, a lot of folks truly don't understand how the economy works like or even what the economy is, right.

They'll point, and I hear it a lot, particularly among, say, my peers socioeconomically, where we're honestly most of us are truly getting by maybe a little bit better than paycheck to paycheck, but not much.

We are one financial emergency, whether it's medical or something like that, away from from significant financial stress.

But it's the unchecked corporate greed that has allowed allowed the American consumer to be drained of this money.

And for them to say, oh no, no, no, no, it's inflation.

ANGIE MILES: What do you think?

ERICA SAYERS: I think in schools we need to do a better job at personal finance.

You know, as a banker I actually volunteered at our local middle school to do some finance classes.

And I brought along our marketing department, our chief experience officer, our investments, the retail banker who could teach them about credit scores.

In my opinion, it's something we're dropping the ball on is teaching children the importance of, you know, saving a dollar and not spending more than you make.

JACK HICKEY: There's a lot of people that are struggling to make ends meet finding a place to live.

It's becoming harder and harder.

The market for rentals and ownership is just out of the reach of a lot of people.

And I think we need to take a long look at income inequality.

BILL OGLESBY: I do think that people do tend to be pocketbook voters, and I think that that has worked against President Biden, because if you look at the economy, you look at the economic figures across the board, he's done very well, even on inflation.

If you compare it to other countries, we've done quite well.

But here's the deal people don't vote their pocketbooks based on European inflation.

They voted based on inflation here at home.

JENNIFER BROWNE: I think a lot has to do with what side of the economic spectrum you're on.

My company did not give me a pension.

But then there are other people who, are working for the government and they'll have a pension for for life.

And it affects their, their way of, living and voting and, and how they approach economics.

CHUCK HANSEN: And then there are other people who are living paycheck to paycheck or behind paycheck to paycheck JENNIFER BROWNE: Exactly.

CHUCK HANSEN: And it's pretty hard to have a conversation about how, no, it's working.

And then they go to the grocery store and it doesn't feel like it's working.

JENNIFER BROWNE: Or their children are coming back home and living with them because they can't find, worthwhile employment.

They can't make enough.

And so then the parents who thought that they were going to have empty nesters are having the boomerang kids and trying to deal with that.

Yeah.

It's tough.

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