NEW YORK (CNN/Money) - A new poll shows consumer confidence took a slight dip this week despite a surge last week in the run-up to the presidential election.

The ABC News/Money magazine Consumer Comfort index stands at -7 on its scale of +100 to -100. It was -5 last week, up from -11 the week before – matching the second largest one-week gain in this poll's history.

The index has a long-term average of -9, dating back to December 1985.

As usual, confidence is stronger among better-off Americans. The index is +44 among high-income people while -48 among those with the lowest incomes; +6 among college graduates while -39 among high-school dropouts; -1 among whites but -35 among blacks; and +4 among men but -15 among women.

Taken as a whole, 41 percent of Americans rate the U.S. economy as excellent or good; it was 42 percent last week. The highest was 80 percent on Jan. 16, 2000. The lowest was seven percent in late 1991 and early 1992.

57 percent say their own finances are excellent or good, the same as last week. The best was 70 percent on Aug. 30, 1998, matched in January 2000. The worst was 42 percent on March 14, 1993.

And 42 percent say it's an excellent or good time to buy things; it was 43 percent last week. The best was 57 percent on Jan. 16, 2000. The worst was 20 percent in autumn 1990.

The ABC News/Money magazine Consumer Comfort Index represents a rolling average based on telephone interviews with a random sample of about 1,000 adults nationwide each month. This week's results are based on 1,000 interviews in the four weeks ending Nov. 7, 2004, and have an error margin of plus or minus three percentage points.