
if your population of interest is a certain demographic range the stock market is v important to living standards (eg investment accounts) if your population of interest is a different demographic the stock market is not all that important to living standards (affordability of basic needs)
it is not the economy but it is something politicians use as a barometer for economic health, and often point to when people are struggling to afford basic necessities in order to say “no we’re doing well actually”. that’s the kind of thing that the people who say “people matter more” are referring to