[ThisIsAnOutrage]

I'm going to regret asking for this, but talk to me like I'm stoopid here. What exactly is an economy?

I was reading about the US economy and it was a pretty thorough article with points about household debt, employment rates, numbers of people on benefits, etc. The stats, according to the article, indicated that the economy was good. Yet, the majority of people surveyed felt it was bad .
The article then took aim at the idea that people think the economy is good when they feel that they have enough money and opportunity for advancement, and bad when they feel that they don't have enough money or opportunity.

It seems to me neither view, stats or feelings, really capture what an economy is but parts of each might.play a role? Surely the stats only matter if people think an economy is good.

What really is an economy?