WASHINGTON - Heading into the year of 2013, only a half of Americans are "hopeful" about their lives in the new year before the start of US President Barack Obama's second term, less than four years ago, a new poll showed Tuesday.

The new Washington Post/ABC News poll showed a bare 53 percent majority of Americans are "hopeful" about what the future holds for them in 2013 while about 44 percent say they are instead more "fearful".

The number of those personally hopeful is down sharply from four years ago when 63 percent believed so in the wake of the start of President Obama's first term. This is also the least optimistic figure over a decade, down from the record high of 80 percent in 2001 of the respondents who said they were personally hopeful about the year ahead.

Asked what will be in store for the world in general, Americans' answers signal even more worries, with a record low at 40 percent hopeful and 56 percent fearful.

However, the new poll also found that 53 percent of Americans say based on their own experiences the economy has begun to recover, a ?sentiment that has crept up steadily from 36 percent in November 2011 to the new high, though most see the recovery happening as a weak one.