NEW YORK (CNN/Money) - Steady consumer confidence may pose a challenge for Democrats as Americans' views on the economic environment have risen sharply from where they stood just six weeks ago.

The ABC/Money magazine Consumer Comfort index stands at -7 on its scale of +100 to -100, slightly ahead of its long-term -9 average.

Americans' improved perceptions of the economy make it more difficult for the Democrats to challenge President Bush on his economic record. In a separate ABC News/Washington Post poll, registered voters were evenly divided on whom they trust more to handle the economy, Bush or Democratic challenger John Kerry.

Economic perceptions play a critical role in election politics. The ABC/Post poll says Bush garnered support from 75 percent of registered voters who say the economy is in good shape while Kerry captured 71 percent of the vote from those who rate the economy negatively.

The Democrats do have some ammunition against Bush as 41 percent of registered voters say most people are worse off since he took office. That number stood at 52 percent last fall and 61 percent the summer of 1992, the year his father lost his bid for re-election.

There's also a strong interplay in this election cycle between partisanship and consumer views. The ABC/Money index is -47 among Democrats, matching its lowest level in more than 10 years. But it stands at +41 among Republicans--a whopping 88 point difference--and -3 among independents.

Americans' ratings of their own finances hit a six-month high as 59 percent said their own finances were in good shape, up from 57 percent the previous week. The best was 70 percent on August 30, 1998, which was matched in January 2000. The worst was 42 percent on March 14, 1993.

Forty-two percent of those surveyed rate the nation's economy as excellent or good, unchanged from the week prior. The average peaked at 80 percent on Jan. 16, 2000, but bottomed out at 7 percent in late 1991 and early 1992.

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Fewer respondents think that now is a good time to buy things they want or need, as 39 percent rated the buying climate as excellent or good, down from 41 percent the previous week. The highest level of confidence in this category, 57 percent, was set on Jan. 16, 2000, and the worst, 20 percent, in the fall of 1990.

The ABC/Money magazine Consumer Comfort index was based on a random survey of 1,000 respondents nationwide in the four weeks ended July 25 and has an error margin of plus or minus three percentage points. The index measures Americans' confidence in three areas: the national economy, their own finances, and their willingness to spend money, according to the report.