(CNSNews.com) – A majority of supporters of Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama describe the economy as either in a “recession” or a “depression,” compared to less than half of supporters of GOP presidential candidate John McCain, according to a new poll.
 
In the latest USA Today/Gallup poll, 73 percent of Obama supporters say the economy is in a recession or depression, compared to 45 percent of McCain supporters, who say the same.
 
McCain voters are more likely to think the economy is slowing down at the very worst. In fact, a combined 53 percent of McCain supporters say the economy is either slowing down or growing, while only a quarter of Obama voters, or 26 percent, agree.
 
Notably, independents are more likely to respond like Democrats than Republicans on this issue, Gallup found.
 
Nationwide, a majority of Americans, or 61 percent, believe the U.S. economy is in a recession or a depression. That figure is up from 45 percent in January.
 
The nation is not technically in a “depression,” but the recent problems on Wall Street are being described as the “deepest crisis since the Depression,” Gallup said.
 
The poll was conducted Sept. 15-16 through interviews with 1,015 adults nationwide and has a margin of error of plus or minus three percentage points.