A demonstrator holds a 'Stop The Shutdown' sign during a rally with union members and federal employees to end the partial government shutdown outside the White House in Washington, D.C. Andrew Harrer | Bloomberg | Getty Images

Most Americans do not think their financial situation will improve in 2019. And those who are pessimistic largely blame one source: leadership in Washington. A majority of Americans, 55 percent, do not think their financial situations will be better in 2019 compared to 2018. Of those individuals, 12 percent think their finances will be worse and 44 percent believe they will stay the same. At the same time, 44 percent of those surveyed think things will get better for them this year.

The online survey from personal finance website Bankrate.com was conducted in mid-December — well before the federal government shutdown. It included 1,000 individuals ages 18 and up. The partial government shutdown began on Dec. 22. The political impasse has left 800,000 federal workers without pay. It now holds the record for the longest shutdown in U.S. history. Of those who think their finances will be worse, most blame political leaders, as indicated by 49 percent of respondents, followed by cost-of-living increases, more debt, less income from savings or investments, rising interest rates and less income at work.