“Are you any better off” is a phrase commonly used in politics to question whether the policies and actions of a particular candidate or political party have resulted in an improvement in the economic and social well-being of the citizens.
It is often used by opposition parties and critics of the government to highlight areas where they believe the government has failed to deliver on its promises or has been ineffective in addressing key issues.
For example, an opposition party may ask whether citizens are better off now than they were before a particular government came into power, or whether a particular policy has resulted in an improvement in the lives of citizens.
The phrase was famously used by Ronald Reagan in a 1980 presidential debate against President Jimmy Carter:
Use of “Are You Any Better Off” in a sentence
- Are you any better off now that the government has implemented these economic policies?
- Are you any better off now that this political party has come into power?
- Are you any better off now that these social programs have been implemented or cut?
Taegan Goddard is the creator of the Political Dictionary.
He is also the founder of many popular political websites, including Political Wire, Political Job Hunt and the Electoral Vote Map.
Goddard spent more than a decade on Wall Street as managing director and chief operating officer of a prominent investment firm in New York City. Previously, he also served as a policy adviser to a U.S. Senator and Governor.
Goddard is also co-author of You Won – Now What?: How Americans Can Make Democracy Work from City Hall to the White House, a political management book hailed by prominent journalists and politicians from both parties.
His essays on politics and public policy have appeared in dozens of newspapers and magazines across the country.
Goddard earned degrees from Vassar College and Harvard University.
He lives in New York with his wife and three sons.