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A Gallup Poll released Tuesday examined the attitudes of over 1,500 voters residing in all 50 states and Washington D.C. by asking the question, “In general, are you satisfied or dissatisfied with the way things are going in the United States at this time?”
Only 24 percent of Americans reported being satisfied, while 22 percent of independents responded similarly.
Since the poll began in 1979, overall satisfaction was at its highest point (most recently) in 2000 at 6. Since then, favorable responses trended downward considerably until reaching the lowest point, 7 percent, at the height of the economic recession in late 2008.
Looking closer, recent monthly fluctuations were attributed to a number of events currently in the news cycle. From Gallup:
“The Boston Marathon bombings — which occurred after the April measure of U.S. satisfaction — and their aftermath, the ongoing Benghazi investigation, and other recent events may have contributed to a slight decline in U.S. satisfaction in May. Still, from a broad perspective, the yearly average to date of 25% is on par with the 2012 yearly average of 26%.”
When considering partisan affiliation, a significant disparity in attitudes can be seen. More Democrats are satisfied with the country’s direction than Republicans and independents combined. Interestingly, independents appear to split the difference between Democrats and Republicans in recent months.
When compared to the 2012 average, satisfaction in the first five months of 2013 has declined only slightly — dropping from 26 percent to 25 percent.
Positivity towards the country’s direction under President Obama reached its highest point in 2009. After peaking at 36 percent shortly after taking office, public sentiment nearly matched 2009 levels during last year’s election season.