TORONTO - A report by the Royal Bank of Canada says Canadians and Americans share concerns about the economy, but attitudes seem to be a bit gloomier south of the border.

The Toronto-based bank says 28 per cent of Canadians believe the economy will improve next year.

Meanwhile, 26 per cent of Americans share that view - the highest level in more than a year.

Just over a third of Canadians believe their personal financial situation will change for the better in the year ahead, down two percentage points from the previous month.

For Americans, that number was 26 per cent, down five percentage points.

About 26 per cent of Americans expressed concerns about job loss, a six-percentage-point improvement from last month, whereas in Canada that figure stayed flat at 21 per cent.