President Ronald Reagan campaigned on a “Morning in America” message and was re-elected in 1984 due to his strong economic performance. Today’s economy is similar to Reagan’s time, but the big difference is that voters are unhappy about the current administration’s economic handling.

A New York Times/Siena College poll shows that President Biden is behind in key battleground states against former President Donald J. Trump. Poll respondents rate the economy poorly and trust Mr. Trump more to fix it, despite recent economic growth and job additions. President Biden’s economic team is trying to understand why Americans feel this way, and they believe it’s a combination of how American’s view the economic moment and how Mr. Biden communicates about it.

In the fall of 1983, Mr. Reagan’s re-election was not assured, as the nation was coming out of a recession. Despite this, voters had more faith in the economy and Mr. Reagan’s handling of it than they do for Mr. Biden. This is due to a combination of factors, including how consumers process economic data.

An economist from Georgetown University’s McDonough School of Business recently spoke with the White House Council of Economic Advisers about how consumers process price increases. They found that consumers’ attitudes are shaped most by the products they buy often and that unexpected price surges have a negative impact on shoppers’ sentiments. They also found that voters may be able to be swayed by a public persuasion campaign focused on prices that have come down from recent highs.

President Biden’s campaign spent $25 million on television ads to promote “Bidenomics” and is focusing on how to best talk about the economic record, including in the face of recent inflation. However, these efforts have not yet shown results in polls, and campaign aides are continuing to test messages. They believe wage growth and further economic improvement will eventually change public perception.

Some Democrats worry that President Biden may be a barrier to getting his economic message through, particularly to younger voters. The Reagan comparison offers evidence for both sides.

Economic surveys have become more politicized, with Republicans resistant to praising the economy’s performance under Democrat leadership. Mr. Reagan championed the economy’s performance and critiqued press coverage of its flaws; at this point in his presidency, Americans were far more likely to report hearing positive news about the economy and prices than they do under Mr. Biden. They even reported hearing better news on unemployment. President Biden has tried to strike a balance between celebrating job growth and acknowledging the pain of high prices, and has leaned more into boosterism in recent months.