A new survey commissioned by online investing firm Scottrade finds that American investors' optimism is on the rise. The majority of investors (55 percent) think the economy will improve within the next 12 months, and more than three quarters of investors are confident that the stock market is resilient and will provide long-term investment gains (79 percent).

And just over half (51 percent) of investors believe they'll recoup their investment losses within the next three years.

"Investors are still stressed over personal finances, but stress levels have stabilized and attitudes are on the upswing," said Chris X. Moloney, Scottrade's chief marketing officer and executive director of customer intelligence. "This new data shows the most optimism we've seen since the economic crisis began. Especially encouraging is that 80 percent of seniors (born before 1945, currently age 65+), the group who has the most experience with economic ups and downs, continue to have confidence in the market."

"New home sales are up and consumer confidence is bouncing back," Moloney said. "Investors are taking notice, and these broad economic improvements are likely adding to their optimism when it comes to investing."

Additionally, investors' increasing ownership of their own finances may also contribute to their attitude improvement. "The economic crisis has had a big impact on changing the traditional 'set it and forget it' investment mentality," Moloney said. "Investors are becoming more empowered in terms of their personal finances, and that's likely boosting their confidence overall."

Seventy percent of investors indicated they are taking new action to better manage or monitor their finances this year. According to the study, the top five new actions investors are taking this year as a direct result of the economy are:

1. Checking accounts more frequently " Twenty-nine percent of investors are checking their accounts more often. Forty-three percent of investors check their accounts once per week or more. Generation Y (born 1983 " 1991, ages 18-26), which is the most self-directed generation (the least likely to seek advice through an "expert" like a financial advisor), is the most active in monitoring their accounts. More than half (52 percent) check accounts once a week or more.

2. Becoming more familiar with their personal financial situations " Twenty-five percent of investors are spending more time to better understand where they stand financially.

3. Ensuring their accounts are diversified " Nineteen percent of investors are ensuring their accounts have the right investment mix.

4. Doing more research prior to making investments " Eighteen percent of investors are taking the initiative to become more knowledgeable before they decide on investments. For most investors, financial news Web sites (e.g. Yahoo! Finance, MSNMoney.com, WSJ.com) top the list of where they find financial information. The sites draw 48 percent of Gen Yers, 41 percent of Gen Xers (born 1967 " 1982, ages 27-42), 43 percent of Boomers (born 1946 to 1965, ages 43-64) and 30 percent of seniors (65+).

5. Learning more about how the economy works " Sixteen percent of investors are taking steps to educate themselves on the economy.

To meet the demand for more information, Scottrade recently launched a new online Knowledge Center that is available to the public. A condensed version of the Knowledge Center that Scottrade customers have access to, the site features almost 2,000 educational articles and interactive tools.

The 2009 Scottrade American Investor Survey was commissioned by Scottrade and conducted online with members of Survey Sampling Inc.'s SurveySpot consumer panel. Fielded with a nationally representative sample of 1,143 respondents between July 15 and July 29, 2009, the study examined attitudes, behaviors and trends related to investing. All participants were at least 18 years of age and involved in making investment decisions in their households.