THIS is the weekend on which Americans usually fire up their barbecues for the last time before closing their summer places and returning to work. Others pile into their cars to visit relatives, amusement parks and the beach. It is not a weekend for workaday worries.

But this year is different. The horrendous consequences of Katrina are filling the television screens and driving up petrol prices, even in those parts of the country spared by the hurricane.

The tempest shut down 20% of American oil production, eight refineries accounting for 10% of national capacity, and major ports and pipelines.

It may have been foolish, even hubristic, to build a city, New Orleans, some six feet below sea level, and for thousands of people to ignore warnings and refuse to leave their homes.

The looting of sporting-goods stores and the “guns and ammo” section of Wal-Mart are sights not likely to increase the sympathy of Americans for the plight of New Orleans’ citizens.

No matter. Americans, led by President George Bush, have decided that our own “tempst-tost” are as worthy of sympathy as the immigrants to whom that phrase is aimed, inscribed on the base of the Statue of Liberty.

The president is hoping that his combination of sympathy, promises of material help and optimism that “we shall overcome” will boost his popularity.

Perhaps, but only perhaps. In polls taken before Katrina whipped through the Gulf coast region, 66% of Americans rated economic conditions as only fair or poor, 63% said they were getting worse, and 58% said it was a bad time to find a quality job.

Yet 2.2m jobs have been created this year, the unemployment rate is a low 4.9%, 86% of Americans say they are satisfied with their jobs, and nearly all say they love (32%) or like (59%) their jobs, according to Karlyn Bowman, Washington's premier poll analyst.

That high level of job satisfaction may be why 61% of workers say they would continue to work even if they won $10m on the lottery. Unless, of course, they didn’t want to answer in the alternative: “If I won $10m I would become a lazy git.”

In short, it is not easy to discern the state of the American psyche pre-Katrina, much less since the storm hit. Perhaps the best indicator is provided by a Harris poll that concludes: “With a few exceptions, Americans are generally happier with their lives and more optimistic about their future than are Europeans...

“Fully 58% of Americans are very satisfied with their lives compared with the 15-country European average of 31%” and the UK average of 33%. And 65% of Americans expect their personal situation to improve in the next five years, compared with 44% in the EU, and 55% in Britain.

It is unlikely that the natural optimism of Americans will be shattered by Katrina. The job market is improving to the point where The Wall Street Journal reports this is “the best fall in years for jobseekers”.

Times Recommends

• Lies and cover-up at MG Rover exposed by report
• High oil prices push manufacturing costs up
• Primark founder steps down as chief executive