Two in five Americans believe stock market only serves the top 1%

Exclusive Harris poll for Guardian reveals Americans’ assumptions about stock market and wider economy

Two in five Americans believe the stock market isn’t for them and only benefits the top 1%, according to a new Harris Poll poll exclusive to the Guardian that surveyed investing habits and knowledge about the economy.

The poll found a similar share of Americans had incorrect assumptions about the relationship between the economy and the stock market.

Nearly 40% did not know that the economy and the stock market were not the same thing.

And two-thirds of Americans incorrectly believed that a growing stock market means the overall economy is growing.

This survey was conducted online by the Harris Poll from 9-11 July, among a nationally representative sample of 2,154 US adults, with 1,667 reporting some level of investing.