As we head toward an election year, the US political divide will influence consumer perception — and thus behavior. Forrester’s March 2023 Consumer Pulse Survey found that while US online adults of different political affiliations see their personal finances — short-term and long-term — in a similar vein, their perception of external finances is a different story: Those who identify as conservative and moderately conservative feel much more concerned about the direction of the economy than those with other political affiliations. For marketers, the divide manifests in consumer perception, which makes it important for brands to track and understand sentiment with their audience as it relates to their outlook.