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?