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Update: Americans' Satisfaction With Aspects of Life in U.S.

Update: Americans' Satisfaction With Aspects of Life in U.S.

Americans significantly less satisfied with economic issues than four years ago

GALLUP NEWS SERVICE

PRINCETON, NJ -- Americans' satisfaction levels with a number of aspects of life in America today have undergone significant changes in the four years of George W. Bush's first term. But there is no clear-cut pattern. Satisfaction with certain elements of life -- such as crime-related issues, the amount paid in federal income taxes, and race relations -- has improved. But a number of broad measures have deteriorated -- particularly those relating to the economy. All in all, Americans are most satisfied with their overall quality of life, the position of women in society, the nation's military strength, and the opportunity for a person who works hard to get ahead. Americans are least satisfied with the availability of affordable healthcare, U.S. efforts to deal with poverty and homelessness, Social Security and Medicare, and immigration levels.

Basic Satisfaction Levels

Gallup has asked Americans every January since 2001 to rate their satisfaction levels with a large list of issues relating to life in the United States.

The table below presents the rank-ordered list of net satisfaction levels based on the January 2005 measures (obtained in Gallup's Jan. 3-5 survey; the complete data are presented at the end of this article). The "net satisfaction" levels are calculated by subtracting the total percentage who say they are dissatisfied with that element of life from the total percentage who say they are satisfied. For example, the +67 for "overall quality of life" is derived from the 83% who are satisfied minus the 16% who are dissatisfied.

State of the Nation/Quality of Life: Net Satisfaction


RANK

2005 Jan 3-5
Based on % satisfied minus % dissatisfied

% NET SATISFACTION
(in pct. pts.)

1

The overall quality of life

67

2

The position of women in the nation

41

3

The nation's military strength and preparedness

35

4

The opportunity for a person to get ahead by working hard

33

5

The position of blacks and other racial minorities in the nation

22

6

Our system of government and how well it works

21

7

The nation's security from terrorism

19

8

The nation's policies to reduce or control crime

18

9

The state of race relations

16

10

The influence of organized religion

13

11

The quality of the environment in the nation

12

12 (tie)

The nation's laws or policies on guns

8

12 (tie)

The role America plays in world affairs

8

14

The size and power of the federal government

-2

15

The state of the nation's economy

-4

16

The nation's policies regarding the abortion issue

-5

17

The nation's energy policies

-6

18

The quality of medical care in the nation

-9

19

The quality of public education in the nation

-18

20

The moral and ethical climate

-19

21

The size and influence of major corporations

-21

22

The amount Americans pay in federal taxes

-22

23

The acceptance of homosexuality in the nation

-28

24

The nation's campaign finance laws

-29

25

The level of immigration into the country today

-32

26

The Social Security and Medicare systems

-34

27

The nation's efforts to deal with poverty and homelessness

-41

28

The availability of affordable healthcare

-48

There is obviously a huge variance in the public's satisfaction levels across these 28 items -- ranging from the +67 net satisfaction with the overall quality of life to the –48 net satisfaction with the availability of affordable healthcare.

It's difficult to draw broad, overall conclusions from these data, other than to emphasize how widely dispersed the satisfaction levels are.

There are, however, several isolated points that are worth highlighting:

  • Americans appear to have a great deal of satisfaction with their overall quality of life. (In a similar fashion, a high percentage of Americans tell us they are satisfied with the way things are going in their personal lives.)
  • There are generally high net satisfaction levels with the position of both women and racial/ethnic minorities in America.
  • Despite lukewarm satisfaction with the nation's overall economy, there is a much higher level of satisfaction with "the opportunity for a person in this nation to get ahead by working hard."
  • Two of the items with the lowest overall net satisfaction levels are ones on President Bush's highly promoted legislative agenda for his new term: Social Security and immigration.

What Does It Mean to Be Dissatisfied?

Interpreting levels of dissatisfaction with several of these issues is not straightforward. For example, it is not immediately apparent whether the low level of satisfaction with immigration is a result of feelings that there should be more immigration, or less immigration. Similarly, the high level of dissatisfaction with the acceptance of homosexuality in the nation could be a result of Americans feeling that there should be more tolerance for gays and lesbians, or feelings that there should be less tolerance.

For that reason, the January Gallup poll asked follow-up questions to gauge Americans' attitudes about several of these issues; that is, in which direction Americans would like to see the issues changed. For example, Americans were asked if they wanted immigration levels increased or decreased, if they wanted more tolerance or less tolerance for homosexuals, and so forth.

The combination of satisfaction/dissatisfaction data and attitudinal direction data allows for a more complete picture of where Americans stand on these issues. (Again, the complete data are presented at the end of this article.)

Here are some key findings:

SUMMARY TABLES: SATISFACTION ON ISSUES

Corporate Influence (Q.18F/20)

 

Total
satisfied

Dissatisfied,
want more

Dissatisfied,
want less

Dissatisfied,
keep as now

No
opinion

 

 

 

 

 

2005 Jan 3-5

38%

2

48

9

3

Americans have an overall net negative level of satisfaction with the size and influence of large corporations, but do those who are dissatisfied want more or less corporate influence? The answer to that question is straightforward. The large majority of Americans who are dissatisfied with the influence of corporations want less influence; very few want corporations to have more influence.

Influence of Organized Religion (Q.18G/21)

 

Total
satisfied

Dissatisfied,
want more

Dissatisfied,
want less

Dissatisfied,
keep as now

No
opinion

 

 

 

 

 

2005 Jan 3-5

55%

9

25

8

3

This is an interesting dimension. As is well known, religion was a major factor in the presidential election this year (highly religious Americans were much more likely to vote for Bush than were those who were less religious). In fact, Bush's (and the Republican Party's) connection to evangelical Protestants and the religious right has been a factor in the political landscape throughout Bush's first term.

There is an overall net positive satisfaction level with the influence of organized religion in the country. For those who are dissatisfied, however, the reason is clear from analyzing the direction of desired religious change. Well more than half of those who are dissatisfied say they want religion to have less influence in the country, rather than to have more influence or have its influence stay the same.

Abortion Laws (Q.19A/22)

 

Total
satisfied

Dissatisfied,
want more strict

Dissatisfied,
want less strict

Dissatisfied,
remain same

No
opinion

 

 

 

 

 

2005 Jan 3-5

42%

25

11

11

11

There is a slightly higher level of dissatisfaction than satisfaction with national abortion policies. Among the 47% of those who are dissatisfied with abortion, there is a rough split between those who want abortion laws to be made more strict and those who say laws should be made less strict or remain the same.

SUMMARY TABLES: SATISFACTION ON ISSUES (continued)

Gun Laws (Q.19I/23)

 

Total
satisfied

Dissatisfied,
want more strict

Dissatisfied,
want less strict

Dissatisfied,
remain same

No
opinion

 

 

 

 

 

2005 Jan 3-5

51%

32

6

5

6

There is little question that dissatisfaction with gun laws in the country is based on a feeling that gun laws should be made more strict.

Acceptance of Homosexuality (Q.19J/24)

 


Total
satisfied

Dissatisfied,
want more
acceptance

Dissatisfied,
 want less
acceptance

Dissatisfied,
acceptance
about right


No
opinion

 

 

 

 

 

2005 Jan 3-5

32%

19

28

13

8

Considerably more Americans are dissatisfied with the acceptance of homosexuality in the country today than are satisfied (hence the net –28% satisfaction level). But is this dissatisfaction caused by feelings that there should be more tolerance for gays and lesbians, or by feelings that there is already too much acceptance? The data show a somewhat mixed picture. Twenty-eight percent of Americans are both dissatisfied and want less acceptance of homosexuality -- a conservative position on the issue. Nineteen percent are dissatisfied and want more acceptance of homosexuality -- a more liberal position. But another 13% are dissatisfied and say that acceptance of homosexuality should stay at its current levels. This is a group whose underlying feelings are difficult to interpret. These could be conservatives who want no more change toward liberalization of gay and lesbian rights (for example, legalized gay marriage), or they could be liberals who do not want gay rights further eroded, or possibly a combination of the two.

Level of Immigration (Q.19M/25)

 

Total
satisfied

Dissatisfied,
want more

Dissatisfied,
want less

Dissatisfied,
remain same

No
opinion

 

 

 

 

 

2005 Jan 3-5

30%

4

45

13

8

Dissatisfaction with immigration in the United States today clearly comes from those who want curbs on immigration. Indeed, almost half of all Americans are dissatisfied with the level of immigration and want it restricted further than it is today.

Amount Americans Pay in Federal Income Taxes (Q.19R/26)

 

Total
satisfied

Dissatisfied,
want Americans
to pay more

Dissatisfied,
want Americans
to pay less

Dissatisfied,
want taxes to
remain same

No
opinion

 

 

 

 

 

2005 Jan 3-5

38%

5

43

12

2

This is a no-brainer. Those who are dissatisfied with the amount Americans pay in income taxes are strongly likely to say there should be further reductions in taxes. Of interest to us at Gallup is the 5% who say they are dissatisfied with the amount Americans pay in federal income taxes and want them to pay more. Twelve percent are dissatisfied and want Americans to pay approximately the same amount.

Change Over the Four Years of Bush's First Term

It is not surprising to find that Americans' satisfaction with a number of these issues and dimensions of life have changed over the last four years, that is, between January 2001 -- when Bush was inaugurated for his first term -- and now, when he is about to be inaugurated for his second.

We have presented the changes in the table below, based on the differences between the net satisfaction levels with these issues calculated in January 2001 and the net satisfaction levels calculated in January 2005.

Change in Net Satisfaction Between January 2001 and January 2005


Change (pct. pts.)

The nation's laws or policies on guns

+27

The nation's policies to reduce or control crime

+25

The amount Americans pay in federal taxes

+23

The state of race relations

+20

The nation's energy policies

+11

The position of blacks and other racial minorities in the nation

+9

The moral and ethical climate

+7

The nation's military strength and preparedness

+6

The position of women in the nation

+5

The nation's campaign finance laws

+4

The nation's policies regarding the abortion issue

-1

The quality of public education in the nation

-1

The quality of the environment in the nation

-4

The size and power of the federal government

-5

The nation's efforts to deal with poverty and homelessness

-5

The acceptance of homosexuality in the nation

-6

The quality of medical care in the nation

-8

The level of immigration into the country today

-9

The availability of affordable healthcare

-9

The overall quality of life

-12

The Social Security and Medicare systems

-15

Our system of government and how well it works

-17

The role America plays in world affairs

-19

The influence of organized religion

-19

The opportunity for a person in this nation to get ahead by working hard

-21

The size and influence of major corporations

-21

The state of the nation's economy

-45

Net satisfaction levels with five of these dimensions have increased by more than 10 points over the last four years. Interestingly, the highest levels of increased net satisfaction are in terms of perceptions about gun laws and the nation's crime reduction policies. These increased satisfaction levels may reflect the continuation of lower crime rates in most parts of the country. There is no readily apparent explanation for increased satisfaction levels with the state of race relations or the nation's energy policies.

It is less surprising to find that net satisfaction with the amount Americans pay in federal taxes has gone up -- given the tax cuts passed in the first Bush term.

The following lost 10 or more points in the net difference between satisfied and dissatisfied:

Change (pct. pts.)

The overall quality of life

-12

The Social Security and Medicare systems

-15

Our system of government and how well it works

-17

The role America plays in world affairs

-19

The influence of organized religion

-19

The opportunity for a person in this nation to get ahead by working hard

-21

The size and influence of major corporations

-21

The state of the nation's economy

-45

Three aspects of life on which net satisfaction has dropped more than 10 percentage points over the last four years are at least peripherally related to economic issues. The greatest drop of all is in terms of "the state of the nation's economy," which has fallen by 45 net percentage points between January 2001 and January 2005. The other two issues related to the economy are the opportunity for a person to get ahead by working hard, and the size and influence of major corporations. The drop in satisfaction with the overall quality of life may also reflect perceptions of a depressed economy.

The significantly decreased satisfaction with the influence of organized religion may reflect the more prominent role that religion played in analysis of last year's presidential election. The drop in satisfaction with the role America plays in world affairs most probably reflects the worldwide criticism the nation has taken as a result of the war in Iraq.

The decrease in satisfaction with Social Security/Medicare may reflect in part the recent drumbeat of rhetoric from the administration that the systems need fixing, including the president's insistence that Social Security is in a "crisis."

Survey Methods

These results are based on telephone interviews with a randomly selected national sample of 1,005 adults, aged 18 and older, conducted Jan. 3-5, 2005. For results based on this sample, one can say with 95% confidence that the maximum error attributable to sampling and other random effects is ±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.

18. Next, I'm going to read some aspects of life in America today. For each one, please say whether you are -- very satisfied, somewhat satisfied, somewhat dissatisfied, or very dissatisfied. How about -- [ROTATED]?

A. The overall quality of life

 

Very
satisfied

Somewhat
satisfied

Somewhat
dissatisfied

Very
dissatisfied

No
opinion

%

%

%

%

%

2005 Jan 3-5

32

51

13

3

1

 

 

 

 

 

2004 Jan 12-15

32

52

13

2

1

2003 Jan 13-16

32

56

9

3

*

2002 Jan 7-9

35

54

8

3

*

2001 Jan 10-14

33

56

8

2

1

* Less than 0.5%

B. Our system of government and how well it works

 

Very
satisfied

Somewhat
satisfied

Somewhat
dissatisfied

Very
dissatisfied

No
opinion

%

%

%

%

%

2005 Jan 3-5

18

42

24

15

1

 

 

 

 

 

2004 Jan 12-15

17

44

26

13

*

2003 Jan 13-16

19

45

25

10

1

2002 Jan 7-9

25

51

16

7

1

2001 Jan 10-14

16

52

21

9

2

* Less than 0.5%

C. The size and power of the federal government

 

Very
satisfied

Somewhat
satisfied

Somewhat
dissatisfied

Very
dissatisfied

No
opinion

%

%

%

%

%

2005 Jan 3-5

8

40

31

19

2

 

 

 

 

 

2004 Jan 12-15

10

38

31

20

1

2003 Jan 13-16

10

41

29

18

2

2002 Jan 7-9

12

48

26

13

1

2001 Jan 10-14

8

42

29

18

3

D. The moral and ethical climate

 

Very
satisfied

Somewhat
satisfied

Somewhat
dissatisfied

Very
dissatisfied

No
opinion

%

%

%

%

%

2005 Jan 3-5

7

33

29

30

1

 

 

 

 

 

2004 Jan 12-15

5

30

36

28

1

2003 Jan 13-16

6

32

32

29

1

2002 Jan 7-9

9

38

28

24

1

2001 Jan 10-14

5

31

32

30

2

E. The opportunity for a person in this nation to get ahead by working hard

 

Very
satisfied

Somewhat
satisfied

Somewhat
dissatisfied

Very
dissatisfied

No
opinion

%

%

%

%

%

2005 Jan 3-5

33

33

19

14

1

 

 

 

 

 

2004 Jan 12-15

31

38

18

12

1

2003 Jan 13-16

33

36

19

11

1

2002 Jan 7-9

40

37

14

8

1

2001 Jan 10-14

36

40

14

8

2

F. The size and influence of major corporations

 

Very
satisfied

Somewhat
satisfied

Somewhat
dissatisfied

Very
dissatisfied

No
opinion

%

%

%

%

%

2005 Jan 3-5

7

31

32

27

3

 

 

 

 

 

2004 Jan 12-15

7

31

34

27

1

2003 Jan 13-16

6

37

33

21

3

2002 Jan 7-9

7

43

30

17

3

2001 Jan 10-14

7

41

31

17

4

G. The influence of organized religion

 

Very
satisfied

Somewhat
satisfied

Somewhat
dissatisfied

Very
dissatisfied

No
opinion

%

%

%

%

%

2005 Jan 3-5

16

39

24

18

3

 

 

 

 

 

2004 Jan 12-15

17

41

24

14

4

2003 Jan 13-16

17

42

25

12

4

2002 Jan 7-9

18

51

19

9

3

2001 Jan 10-14

17

47

21

11

4

SATISFACTION SUMMARY TABLE

2005 Jan 3-5
(sorted by "very satisfied")

Very
satisfied

Total
satisfied

Total
dissatisfied

%

%

%

The opportunity for a person to get ahead by working hard

33

66

33

The overall quality of life

32

83

16

Our system of government and how well it works

18

60

39

The influence of organized religion

16

55

42

The size and power of the federal government

8

48

50

The moral and ethical climate

7

40

59

The size and influence of major corporations

7

38

59

 

19. Next, we'd like to know how you feel about the state of the nation in each of the following areas. For each one, please say whether you are -- very satisfied, somewhat satisfied, somewhat dissatisfied, or very dissatisfied. If you don't have enough information about a particular subject to rate it, just say so. How about -- [ITEMS A-T ROTATED, THEN ITEM U READ]?

A. The nation's policies regarding the abortion issue

 

Very
satisfied

Somewhat
satisfied

Somewhat
dissatisfied

Very
dissatisfied

No
opinion

%

%

%

%

%

2005 Jan 3-5

13

29

21

26

11

 

 

 

 

 

2004 Jan 12-15

12

33

22

24

9

2003 Jan 13-16

10

32

24

22

12

2002 Jan 7-9

11

37

19

24

9

2001 Jan 10-14

11

32

21

26

10

B. The nation's campaign finance laws

 

Very
satisfied

Somewhat
satisfied

Somewhat
dissatisfied

Very
dissatisfied

No
opinion

%

%

%

%

%

2005 Jan 3-5

4

20

27

26

23

 

 

 

 

 

2004 Jan 12-15

4

27

29

22

18

2003 Jan 13-16

5

23

24

26

22

2002 Jan 7-9

4

27

27

23

19

2001 Jan 10-14

4

19

27

29

21

C. The nation's policies to reduce or control crime

 

Very
satisfied

Somewhat
satisfied

Somewhat
dissatisfied

Very
dissatisfied

No
opinion

%

%

%

%

%

2005 Jan 3-5

11

46

23

16

4

 

 

 

 

 

2004 Jan 12-15

10

43

28

16

3

2003 Jan 13-16

8

43

28

18

3

2002 Jan 7-9

10

44

30

13

3

2001 Jan 10-14

6

39

32

20

3

D. The state of the nation's economy

 

Very
satisfied

Somewhat
satisfied

Somewhat
dissatisfied

Very
dissatisfied

No
opinion

%

%

%

%

%

2005 Jan 3-5

6

41

32

19

2

 

 

 

 

 

2004 Jan 12-15

6

39

33

20

2

2003 Jan 13-16

3

31

41

23

2

2002 Jan 7-9

4

46

37

11

2

2001 Jan 10-14

12

56

19

8

5

E. The quality of public education in the nation

 

Very
satisfied

Somewhat
satisfied

Somewhat
dissatisfied

Very
dissatisfied

No
opinion

%

%

%

%

%

2005 Jan 3-5

9

31

32

26

2

 

 

 

 

 

2004 Jan 12-15

9

33

31

25

2

2003 Jan 13-16

11

31

32

25

1

2002 Jan 7-9

12

33

28

26

1

2001 Jan 10-14

10

30

32

25

3

F. The nation's energy policies

 

Very
satisfied

Somewhat
satisfied

Somewhat
dissatisfied

Very
dissatisfied

No
opinion

%

%

%

%

%

2005 Jan 3-5

5

34

25

20

16

 

 

 

 

 

2004 Jan 12-15

6

40

25

16

13

2003 Jan 13-16

6

34

26

17

17

2002 Jan 7-9

6

39

27

15

13

2001 Jan 10-14

5

27

28

21

19

G. The quality of the environment in the nation

 

Very
satisfied

Somewhat
satisfied

Somewhat
dissatisfied

Very
dissatisfied

No
opinion

%

%

%

%

%

2005 Jan 3-5

10

44

26

16

4

 

 

 

 

 

2004 Jan 12-15

9

43

31

14

3

2003 Jan 13-16

10

45

28

14

3

2002 Jan 7-9

9

47

26

15

3

2001 Jan 10-14

8

48

27

13

4

H. The role America plays in world affairs

 

Very
satisfied

Somewhat
satisfied

Somewhat
dissatisfied

Very
dissatisfied

No
opinion

%

%

%

%

%

2005 Jan 3-5

17

35

23

21

4

 

 

 

 

 

2004 Jan 12-15

16

34

27

21

2

2003 Jan 13-16

14

41

24

16

5

2002 Jan 7-9

20

46

21

10

3

2001 Jan 10-14

13

48

23

11

5

I. The nation's laws or policies on guns

 

Very
satisfied

Somewhat
satisfied

Somewhat
dissatisfied

Very
dissatisfied

No
opinion

%

%

%

%

%

2005 Jan 3-5

15

36

21

22

6

 

 

 

 

 

2004 Jan 12-15

14

37

22

23

4

2003 Jan 13-16

13

34

26

21

6

2002 Jan 7-9

13

35

24

23

5

2001 Jan 10-14

10

28

28

29

5

J. The acceptance of homosexuality in the nation

 

Very
satisfied

Somewhat
satisfied

Somewhat
dissatisfied

Very
dissatisfied

No
opinion

%

%

%

%

%

2005 Jan 3-5

6

26

23

37

8

 

 

 

 

 

2004 Jan 12-15

4

35

24

32

5

2003 Jan 13-16

7

30

27

27

9

2002 Jan 7-9

5

35

23

31

6

2001 Jan 10-14

5

30

28

29

8

K. The availability of affordable healthcare

 

Very
satisfied

Somewhat
satisfied

Somewhat
dissatisfied

Very
dissatisfied

No
opinion

%

%

%

%

%

2005 Jan 3-5

7

18

27

46

2

 

 

 

 

 

2004 Jan 12-15

6

21

26

45

2

2003 Jan 13-16

6

19

28

44

3

2002 Jan 7-9

8

23

27

39

3

2001 Jan 10-14

6

23

31

37

3

 -- continued --

19. Next, we'd like to know how you feel about the state of the nation in each of the following areas. For each one, please say whether you are -- very satisfied, somewhat satisfied, somewhat dissatisfied, or very dissatisfied. If you don't have enough information about a particular subject to rate it, just say so. How about -- [ITEMS A-T ROTATED, THEN ITEM U READ]?

-- continued --

L. The quality of medical care in the nation

 

Very
satisfied

Somewhat
satisfied

Somewhat
dissatisfied

Very
dissatisfied

No
opinion

%

%

%

%

%

2005 Jan 3-5

15

30

25

29

1

 

 

 

 

 

2004 Jan 12-15

16

32

26

25

1

2003 Jan 13-16

17

31

24

26

2

2002 Jan 7-9

16

35

26

21

2

2001 Jan 10-14

15

33

27

22

3

M. The level of immigration into the country today

 

Very
satisfied

Somewhat
satisfied

Somewhat
dissatisfied

Very
dissatisfied

No
opinion

%

%

%

%

%

2005 Jan 3-5

4

26

26

36

8

 

 

 

 

 

2004 Jan 12-15

4

27

29

34

6

2003 Jan 13-16

3

24

31

34

8

2002 Jan 7-9

3

26

34

32

5

2001 Jan 10-14

6

26

28

27

13

N. The nation's military strength and preparedness

 

Very
satisfied

Somewhat
satisfied

Somewhat
dissatisfied

Very
dissatisfied

No
opinion

%

%

%

%

%

2005 Jan 3-5

28

38

20

11

3

 

 

 

 

 

2004 Jan 12-15

44

37

12

5

2

2003 Jan 13-16

42

41

10

4

3

2002 Jan 7-9

43

36

13

6

2

2001 Jan 10-14

24

37

19

13

7

O. The nation's efforts to deal with poverty and homelessness

 

Very
satisfied

Somewhat
satisfied

Somewhat
dissatisfied

Very
dissatisfied

No
opinion

%

%

%

%

%

2005 Jan 3-5

6

22

34

35

3

 

 

 

 

 

2004 Jan 12-15

4

23

34

37

2

2003 Jan 13-16

3

27

33

33

4

2002 Jan 7-9

6

26

33

32

3

2001 Jan 10-14

4

26

38

28

4

P. The position of blacks and other racial minorities in the nation

 

Very
satisfied

Somewhat
satisfied

Somewhat
dissatisfied

Very
dissatisfied

No
opinion

%

%

%

%

%

2005 Jan 3-5

15

42

23

12

8

 

 

 

 

 

2004 Jan 12-15

12

45

25

11

7

2003 Jan 13-16

11

45

25

11

8

2002 Jan 7-9

12

46

24

12

6

2001 Jan 10-14

10

43

27

13

7

Q. The state of race relations

 

Very
satisfied

Somewhat
satisfied

Somewhat
dissatisfied

Very
dissatisfied

No
opinion

%

%

%

%

%

2005 Jan 3-5

9

44

24

13

10

 

 

 

 

 

2004 Jan 12-15

9

45

30

10

6

2003 Jan 13-16

8

41

30

14

7

2002 Jan 7-9

8

45

28

13

6

2001 Jan 10-14

5

39

34

14

8

R. The amount Americans pay in federal taxes

 

Very
satisfied

Somewhat
satisfied

Somewhat
dissatisfied

Very
dissatisfied

No
opinion

%

%

%

%

%

2005 Jan 3-5

6

32

31

29

2

 

 

 

 

 

2004 Jan 12-15

4

30

34

30

2

2003 Jan 13-16

5

28

31

32

4

2002 Jan 7-9

6

32

32

28

2

2001 Jan 10-14

4

22

35

36

3

S. The Social Security and Medicare systems

 

Very
satisfied

Somewhat
satisfied

Somewhat
dissatisfied

Very
dissatisfied

No
opinion

%

%

%

%

%

2005 Jan 3-5

8

23

29

36

4

 

 

 

 

 

2004 Jan 12-15

7

24

36

29

4

2003 Jan 13-16

8

27

31

29

5

2002 Jan 7-9

9

32

29

26

4

2001 Jan 10-14

6

32

32

25

5

T. The position of women in the nation

 

Very
satisfied

Somewhat
satisfied

Somewhat
dissatisfied

Very
dissatisfied

No
opinion

%

%

%

%

%

2005 Jan 3-5

21

48

20

8

3

 

 

 

 

 

2004 Jan 12-15

17

51

21

9

2

2003 Jan 13-16

25

50

15

6

4

2002 Jan 7-9

21

50

19

8

2

2001 Jan 10-14

19

48

21

10

2

U. The nation's security from terrorism

 

Very
satisfied

Somewhat
satisfied

Somewhat
dissatisfied

Very
dissatisfied

No
opinion

%

%

%

%

%

2005 Jan 3-5

14

44

22

17

3

 

 

 

 

 

2004 Jan 12-15

19

51

16

13

1

2003 Jan 13-16

11

43

26

17

3

2002 Jan 7-9

10

41

27

20

2

SUMMARY TABLE: SATISFACTION WITH THE STATE OF THE NATION

2005 Jan 3-5
(sorted by "very satisfied")

Very
satisfied

Total
satisfied

Total
dissatisfied

%

%

%

The nation's military strength and preparedness

28

66

31

The position of women in the nation

21

69

28

The role America plays in world affairs

17

52

44

The position of blacks and other racial minorities in the nation

15

57

35

The nation's laws or policies on guns

15

51

43

The quality of medical care in the nation

15

45

54

The nation's security from terrorism

14

58

39

The nation's policies regarding the abortion issue

13

42

47

The nation's policies to reduce or control crime

11

57

39

The quality of the environment in the nation

10

54

42

The state of race relations

9

53

37

The quality of public education in the nation

9

40

58

The Social Security and Medicare systems

8

31

65

The availability of affordable healthcare

7

25

73

The state of the nation's economy

6

47

51

The amount Americans pay in federal taxes

6

38

60

The acceptance of homosexuality in the nation

6

32

60

The nation's efforts to deal with poverty and homelessness

6

28

69

The nation's energy policies

5

39

45

The level of immigration into the country today

4

30

62

The nation's campaign finance laws

4

24

53


Gallup https://news.gallup.com/poll/14611/Update-Americans-Satisfaction-Aspects-Life-US.aspx
Gallup World Headquarters, 901 F Street, Washington, D.C., 20001, U.S.A
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