Americans still feel bad about the economy. When will it get better?

American consumers have been pessimistic for so long that now economists are wondering when — or even if — households will ever feel financially better off. The University of Michigan Surveys of Consumers , a closely-watched bellwether, hit all-time lows in May, according to a preliminary reading released last week. That is just one of several consumer opinion surveys showing Americans have never regained confidence in the U.S. economy since the Covid-19 pandemic struck more than six years ago. Economists told CNBC that consumers remain scarred from years of rapid price increases, even as the annual inflation rate cools. On top of that, Americans are worn out by a salvo of economic disruptions — from Covid to wars to President Donald Trump 's tariffs — that have defined the current decade. "It's a series of shocks," said Yelena Shulyatyeva, senior economist at the Conference Board , which conducts another popular gauge of economic confidence. "Consumers don't get a break." Price level pain Economists and monetary policymakers typically track the rate of inflation over a 12-month timeframe. By that measure, price growth is closer to the Federal Reserve 's target of 2% than to the four-decade highs seen during the pandemic. But shoppers have focused on the cumulative change in prices over the past several years. From that vantage point, Cleveland Fed President Beth Hammack told CNBC, there's been about a decade's worth of inflation in half the time. …