Americans' Satisfaction With State of the Nation Edges Up

GALLUP NEWS SERVICE

PRINCETON, NJ -- A recent Gallup Poll finds a slight increase in Americans' satisfaction with the way things are going in the country at the present time, though, from an overall perspective, the vast majority of Americans still remain dissatisfied. The public's current level of satisfaction remains well below the national average across Gallup's historical data on this measure, and is also lower than it was earlier in this year. When asked to name, without prompting, the most important problem facing the country right now, Americans say the war in Iraq, immigration, fuel and oil prices, the general state of the economy, and government dissatisfaction are the most important. Since May, there has been a decline in concerns about gas prices and a slight increase in concerns about immigration.

Mood of the Nation

The latest poll, conducted June 1-4, 2006, finds that 30% of Americans say they are satisfied with the way things are going in the country right now, while 67% are dissatisfied. The public's overall level of satisfaction is up five points from last month. However, satisfaction levels remain in very negative territory -- lower than earlier this year and at any point since the mid-1990s.

The slight increase in this month's measure comes primarily among Republicans, up from 50% in May to 56% in June, and independents, up from 19% to 27%. Only about 1 in 10 Democrats expressed satisfaction in both surveys.

The current 30% satisfaction reading is below average for the 26-year period in which Gallup has been using this measure. Since 1979, the average percentage of Americans saying they are satisfied has been 44%. The high point in satisfaction came in February 1999 when 71% of Americans say they were satisfied. The first survey on this measure, conducted July 1979, found satisfaction at 12%, the lowest ever measured, although not much below the 14% measured in June 1992.

In more recent years, since President George W. Bush took office in 2001, the trends in satisfaction have shown a gradual year-to-year decline. In 2001, an average of 55% of Americans said they were satisfied with the way things were going in the country. This sentiment then began to decline, dropping to 52% in 2002, to 46% in 2003, 43% in 2004, 38% in 2005, and to an average of 31% so far this year.

Most Important Problem

Gallup's June update on the long standing trend question that asks Americans to identify "the most important problem facing this country today" shows that Americans designate the war in Iraq as the top problem facing the country right now, mentioned by 27% of Americans. Following behind Iraq are immigration (18%), fuel and oil prices (11%), the general state of the economy (9%), dissatisfaction with government (8%), healthcare issues (7%), and ethics and morality (7%). Other issues mentioned include unemployment or jobs; the federal budget deficit; and poverty, hunger and homelessness.

There have been several changes on this measure in recent months worth noting:

• The percentage of Americans who name energy (the price of gas, shortage of energy, etc.) as the most important problem facing the country declined significantly this month, down from 22% in May to 11% now. The latest results are the same as Gallup measured in April, and are still much higher than measured earlier this year.

• Currently, 18% of Americans say immigration is the top problem facing the country. This percentage is up from 13% last month, but is essentially the same as Gallup observed in April. Less than 1 in 10 Americans mentioned immigration at the beginning of the year.

• Gallup has also found some modest fluctuation in the percentage of Americans mentioning the situation in Iraq as the most important problem. Since April, at least one in four Americans mentioned Iraq; earlier in the year, this percentage ranged between 20% and 23%. Still, in every survey taken this year, Iraq has been at the top of the list when Americans are asked to name the most important problem facing the country.

None of the other issues mentioned in response to this question have shown significant change since the start of the year.

Survey Methods
Results are based on telephone interviews with 1,002 national adults, aged 18 and older, conducted June 1-4, 2006. For results based on the total sample of national adults, one can say with 95% confidence that the margin of sampling error 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.

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

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

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