Satisfaction With Way Things Are Going in U.S. Sinks to Four-Year Low

GALLUP NEWS SERVICE

President Bush's new energy plan, announced on Thursday, comes at a time when the American public's satisfaction with the way things are going in the United States has dropped to a four-year low. Issues relating to both the cost and availability of energy are most likely causal factors in the drop in satisfaction, as a new Gallup poll also shows that the perception that energy is the nation's number-one problem has jumped substantially compared to just one month ago.

Gallup's satisfaction measure has been trending downward for a number of months. It reached an all-time high of 71% in February 1999, during the Clinton impeachment situation, but has remained high for the most part in the months since that time, including a reading of 62% satisfied as recently as last October, just before the presidential election. As George W. Bush took over in January, satisfaction was at 56%, but fell to 50% by April, and in our latest poll -- conducted May 10-14 -- it is down to 46%, while 50% say they are dissatisfied. The current 46% rating is the lowest recorded in four years.

Still, the current satisfaction reading is not out of line with what confronted the last two presidents when they took office for the first time. Overall satisfaction was at 44% in May 1989, in the first year of George Bush the elder's administration. When Bill Clinton moved into the White House in 1993, satisfaction had decreased, and by May of that year, only 24% of Americans said they were satisfied with the way things were going. (In May 1997, as Clinton was beginning his second term, the satisfaction reading was identical to what it is now, 46%.) The all-time low on the measure, 12%, came in July 1979, during the third year of the Carter administration.

There are wide differences in satisfaction levels within specific segments of the U.S. population, ranging from a high of 65% of Republicans who are satisfied, to a low of 33% of Democrats and those making between $20,000 and $30,000 who are satisfied. A special Gallup analysis has identified a pattern in satisfaction levels: Americans whose political party is the same as that of the president generally are significantly more likely to be satisfied with the way things are going than are those in the other major party.

Generally speaking, in addition to the political party distinctions, those with the highest incomes and the highest levels of education are most satisfied, while those with lower incomes and lower educational levels are least satisfied. Whites are more satisfied than nonwhites.

"Are you satisfied or dissatisfied with the way things are going in the United States at this time?"
	May 10-14
	Satisfied	Dissatisfied
	%	%
Republicans	65	32
$75K and over HH Income	62	35
College grads	60	38
$50-<75K HH Income	57	38
Men 18-49	54	42
Post-college degree	53	44
30-49	51	46
Men	51	45
Some college education	51	45
Conservatives	50	47
Urban residents	48	48
Whites	48	48
18-29	47	51
Easterners	47	51
Southerners	47	48
Suburban residents	46	50
Moderates	46	50
Total	46	50
Midwesterners	46	51
Men 50+	46	50
Women 18-49	45	54
Westerners	43	51
$30-<50K HH Income	42	54
Women	42	54
Rural residents	42	54
50-64	41	54
Independents	41	53
<$20K HH Income	40	57
65+	39	53
Liberals	37	58
Nonwhites	37	60
High school or less	36	60
Women 50+	35	56
Democrats	33	63
$20-<30K HH Income	33	63

Energy Surges as Most Important Problem

Gallup has been asking Americans to name the most important problem facing the nation for over 50 years. The question is typically asked near the beginning of the survey, and tends to pick up issues and problems that are heavily covered in the news. For that reason, the types of issues mentioned by Americans can vary significantly from month to month or year to year. At one point in the 1993-1994 time frame, for example, health care zoomed up on the list, a result of the intensive focus the Clinton administration's ill-fated health-care initiative was receiving. The percentage of Americans mentioning health care as the nation's number-one problem soon fell again once the issue had moved out of the news.

The key finding from this month's asking of the "most important problem" question is the very substantial increase in the number of Americans who mention some aspect of the energy situation. Last month, only 1% mentioned the high price of oil and gas and another 2% mentioned the shortage of energy sources, for a combined total of 3%. This month, in the Gallup poll just completed, 9% mention energy prices, and another 12% mention the shortage of energy, for a combined total of 21%.

Although a slightly higher percentage of Americans mention some aspect of the economy, the data reflect the significant way in which energy has forced itself into the average American's consciousness during just a few short weeks.

There are differences by subgroup in likelihood of mentioning energy, with those living in the West most likely to mention the shortage of energy sources, and those with low incomes most likely to mention the high price of oil and gas.

Bush Job Approval

President Bush's current 56% job approval rating is a little below the average for his still-young term. Ironically, Bush's father, George H.W. Bush, had an identical 56% job approval in May 1989 -- in his first year. President Clinton, on the other hand, had a substantially lower 45% in a May 10-11 survey in 1993, his first term in office.

Survey Methods

These results are based on telephone interviews with a randomly selected national sample of 1,012 adults, 18 years and older, conducted May 10-14, 2001. For results based on this sample, one can say with 95 percent confidence that the maximum error attributable to sampling and other random effects is plus or minus 3 percentage points. In addition to sampling error, question wording and practical difficulties in conducting surveys can introduce error or bias into the findings of public opinion polls.

Do you approve or disapprove of the way George W. Bush is handling his job as president?

 

 

	Approve	Disapprove	No opinion
	%	%	%
2001 May 10-14	56	31	13
2001 May 7-9	53	33	14
2001 Apr 20-22	62	29	9
2001 Apr 6-8	59	30	11
2001 Mar 26-28	53	29	18
2001 Mar 9-11	58	29	13
2001 Mar 5-7	63	22	15
2001 Feb 19-21	62	21	17
2001 Feb 9-11	57	25	18
2001 Feb 1-4	57	25	18

In general, are you satisfied or dissatisfied with the way things are going in the United States at this time?

 

	Satisfied	Dis-satisfied	No opinion			Satisfied	Dis-satisfied	No opinion
	%	%	%			%	%	%
2001					1996
2001 May 10-14	46	50	4		1996 Aug 30-Sep 1	45	50	5
					1996 Aug 16-18	38	57	5
2001 Apr 6-8	50	47	3		1996 May 9-12	37	60	3
2001 Mar 5-7	53	44	3		1996 Mar 15-17	36	61	3
2001 Feb 1-4	51	45	4		1996 Mar 8-10	41	56	3
2001 Jan 10-14	56	41	3		1996 Jan 5-7	24	72	4
2000					1995
2000 Dec 2-4	51	46	3		1995 Aug 11-14	33	64	3
2000 Nov 13-15	58	41	1		1995 Jul 7-9	32	65	3
2000 Oct 6-9	62	36	2		1995 Mar 27-29	30	66	4
2000 Aug 29-Sep 5	59	38	3		1994
2000 Aug 18-19	63	33	4		1994 Nov 28-29	29	67	4
2000 Jul 14-16	61	35	4		1994 Nov 2-6	30	66	4
2000 Jun 22-25	56	39	5		1994 Oct 22-25	31	66	3
2000 May 18-21	55	42	3		1994 Jul 15-17	33	65	2
2000 Apr 3-9	59	37	4		1994 May 20-22	33	64	3
2000 Feb 25-27	65	32	3		1994 Apr 22-24	32	65	3
2000 Jan 7-10	69	28	3		1994 Mar 25-27	35	62	3
1999					1994 Feb 26-28	36	61	3
1999 Sep 23-26	52	45	3		1994 Jan 15-17	35	62	3
1999 Aug 24-26	62	35	3		1993
1999 Jun 11-13	55	42	3		1993 Dec 4-6	34	63	3
1999 May 23-24	51	46	3		1993 Nov 2-4	27	70	3
1999 Apr 26-27	51	45	4		1993 May 21-23	24	73	3
1999 Apr 13-14	58	39	3		1993 Feb 12-14	25	71	4
1999 Feb 12-13	71	26	3		1993 Jan 8-11	29	68	3
1999 Jan 15-17	70	28	2		1992
1998					1992 Nov 11-12	26	68	6
1998 Dec 28-29	50	48	2		1992 Aug 28-Sep 2 ‡	22	73	5
1998 Oct 29-Nov 1	60	34	6		1992 Jul 31-Aug 2	17	80	3
1998 Aug 21-23	63	34	3		1992 Jun 12-14	14	84	2
1998 Aug 10-12	60	36	4		1992 May 7-10	20	77	3
1998 May 8-10	59	36	5		1992 Apr 20-22 ^	19	80	1
1998 Apr 17-19	58	38	4		1992 Mar 20-22	19	80	1
1998 Feb 20-22	64	32	4		1992 Feb 28-Mar 1	21	78	1
1998 Feb 13-15	59	37	4		1992 Jan 31-Feb 2 ^	24	75	1
1998 Jan 30-Feb 1	63	35	2		1992 Jan 3-6 ^	24	74	2
1997					1991
1997 Dec 18-21	50	46	4		1991 Dec 5-8	37	60	3
1997 Aug 22-25	50	48	2		1991 Oct 31-Nov 2	35	62	3
1997 May 6-7	46	51	3		1991 Oct 10-13	39	57	4
1997 Jan 10-13	50	47	3		1991 Aug 23-25	49	45	6
1996					1991 Jul 11-14	43	50	7
1996 Dec 9-11	43	55	2		1991 May 23-26	49	49	2
1996 Nov 21-24	47	47	6		1991 Mar 21-24	52	43	5
1996 Oct 26-29	39	56	5		1991 Feb 28-Mar 3	66	31	3

U.S. SATISFACTION CONTINUED

 

	Satisfied	Dis-satisfied	No opinion
	%	%	%
1991
1991 Feb 14-17	54	40	6
1991 Jan 17-21	62	33	5
1991 Jan 3-6	32	61	7
1990
1990 Dec 13-16	33	64	3
1990 Nov 1-4	32	64	4
1990 Oct 25-28	31	66	3
1990 Oct 11-14	29	67	4
1990 Sep 27-30	37	58	5
1990 Aug 30-Sep 2	51	44	5
1990 Aug 9-12	43	51	6
1990 Jul 19-22	45	51	4
1990 Feb 8-11	55	39	6
1989
1989 May 4-7	44	50	6
1989 Feb	45	50	5
1988
1988 Sep 25-Oct 1	56	40	4
1988 May 13-15	41	54	5
1987
1987 Aug 24-Sep 2	45	49	6
1986
1986 Dec 4-5 †	47	49	4
1986 Sep 3-17	58	38	4
1986 Jun 9-16	69	26	5
1986 Mar 7-10	66	30	4
1985
1985 Nov 11-18	51	46	3
1984
1984 Dec	52	40	8
1984 Sep 28-Oct 1	48	45	7
1984 Feb 10-13	50	46	4
1983
1983 Aug 5-8	35	59	6
1982
1982 Nov 5-8	24	72	4
1982 Sep 17-20	24	72	4
1982 Apr 2-5	25	71	4
1981
1981 Dec 11-14	27	67	6
1981 Jun 5-8	33	61	6
1981 Jan 9-12	17	78	5
1979
1979 Nov 2-5	19	77	4
1979 Jul 13-16	12	84	4
1979 Feb 2-5	26	69	5
^ registered voters † Gallup/Newsweek ‡ Gallup/CNN/Knight-Ridder

What do you think is the most important problem facing this country today? [Open-ended]

		May 10-14, 2001	Apr 6-8, 2001	Mar 5-7, 2001	Jan 10-14, 2001	Apr 3-9, 2000
	ECONOMIC PROBLEMS (NET)	31	33	29	22	--
1	Economy in general	10	15	10	7	4
2	Fuel/oil prices	9	1	1	2	4
3	Unemployment/jobs	6	6	4	4	2
4	Taxes	4	4	7	5	3
5	Gap between rich and poor	1	2	1	1	1
6	High cost of living/inflation	1	7	2	1	1
7	Federal budget deficit/federal debt	1	1	2	1	1
8	Wage issues	*	*	1	1	1
9	Trade relations/deficit	*	1	*	*	*
10	Recession	*	--	3	4	*
	Other specific economic	2	--	1	*	1
	NON-ECONOMIC PROBLEMS (NET)	68	69	76	77	--
1	Lack of energy sources	12	2	2	4	*
2	Education	9	10	16	12	11
3	Ethics/moral/religious/family decline; dishonesty; lack of integrity	8	9	11	13	7
4	Crime/violence	7	6	8	9	12
5	Drugs	5	6	6	7	5
6	Dissatisfaction with government/Congress/politicians/ candidates; poor leadership; corruption	5	7	5	9	11
7	Poverty/hunger/homelessness	4	4	5	4	6
8	Poor health care/hospitals; high cost of health care	4	5	7	7	6
9	Children's behavior/way they are raised	4	6	6	3	3
10	Foreign aid/focus overseas	3	1	1	*	*
11	Environment/pollution	3	3	2	2	2
12	Medicare/Social Security issues	3	2	4	3	3
13	Situation/conflict with China	2	7	--	--	--
14	Lack of money	2	--	--	--	--
15	Race relations/racism	2	2	2	4	3
16	Guns/gun control	1	1	4	1	5
17	Abortion	1	1	1	1	1
18	Judicial system/courts/laws	1	2	1	1	1
19	Unifying the country	1	*	1	1	--
20	Lack of respect for each other	1	1	1	--	--
21	Lack of military defense	1	1	2	2	1
22	Welfare	1	1	1	2	1
23	Immigration/illegal aliens	1	1	*	2	1
24	International issues/problems	*	3	4	4	2
25	Overpopulation	*	1	1	1	*
26	Child abuse	*	*	--	1	1
27	Fear of war	*	1	2	*	1
28	Care for the elderly	*	1	1	2	2
29	The media	*	1	1	1	--
30	School shootings/school violence	*	3	5	0	*
31	Election/election reform	*	1	*	2	--
32	National security	*	*	1	--	--
	Cancer/Diseases	--	1	--	--	--
	Advancement of computers/technology	--	--	*	0	--
	AIDS	--	--	--	*	*
	Other non-economic	6	4	1	3	11
	No opinion	6	7	7	8	5
	Total	127%	138%	141%	135%	125%
Total adds to more than 100% due to multiple responses
* Less than 0.5%