The election of Donald Trump (seen above at a rally in Des Moines, Iowa, on Thursday) has more Americans optimistic about the economy

Donald Trump's election victory has fueled a level of optimism in the American economy that hasn't been felt in years, a new survey shows.

According to the study, 42 per cent of Americans believe that the economy will get better next year, CNBC reported.

The figure is a 17-point improvement compared to last year.

The high level of optimism is the most since 2008, just after the election of Barack Obama as president.

The overall good feeling is driven primarily by Republican and independent voters who are now bullish over the economy thanks to Trump's victory.

The previous survey found that just 15 per cent of Republicans were optimistic that the economy would improve.

Now, 74 per cent of GOP supporters say the same, the poll, whose results were released on Friday, found.

That is a stark contrast to Democratic voters, with just 16 per cent of them saying that the economy will get better.

'We're looking at America moving into a more positive era with regard to economic expectations,' the Republican pollsters for the CNBC survey, Micah Roberts, said.

'No doubt the election of Donald Trump has ushered that in.'

The poll surveyed 800 adults from around the United States between December 2 and 5. It has a margin of error of 3.5 per cent.

The poll by CNBC shows that a whopping 74 per cent of Republicans say that the economy will improve in the coming year under a Trump administration

The CNBC survey also found that 56 per cent of Americans are 'comfortable and prepared to support' Trump as president, a 13 point increase from the 43 per cent who said the same in an NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll before the election.

The backing for Trump breaks down to an overwhelming majority of Republicans – 91 per cent; 54 per cent of independents; and 23 per cent of Democrats.

Trump's election has been felt most acutely on Wall Street this past month.

Major US stock indexes took aim at record highs for the third straight day on Friday as a post-election rally showed no signs of abating.

As the chart above shows, the optimism about the US economy has never been higher since the early days of the Barack Obama administration in 2009

The 'Trump rally' has been running since the November 8 vote as investors bet his policies will boost economic growth and inflation.

The three main US indexes closed at record levels for the second day in a row on Thursday, while the small cap Russell 2000 and the Dow Transport hit all-time highs.

Adding to the upbeat mood in the past weeks has been a spate of robust economic data, including on monthly hiring numbers, GDP growth and inflation, which have underscored the economy's strength.

The surge on Wall Street has Americans excited, with 40 per cent saying that now is a good time to invest, according to CNBC.

Before the election, just 30 per cent recommended buying stocks.

The poll showed that Republicans had more positive views of the stock market, while Democrats had negative feelings.

When asked to rank which investments were preferable, most Americans said that real estate was their top choice.

Despite the overall positive outlook, Americans expect Trump to produce results.

According to the survey, 40 per cent say his administration should address keeping American jobs from going overseas.