Satisfaction With U.S. Direction Reaches 12-Year High

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Thirty-eight percent of Americans are satisfied with the way things are going in the United States today, similar to last month's 37% satisfaction rate but marking the numerical high since a 39% reading in September 2005.

The satisfaction rate, which Gallup has measured at least monthly since 2001, has now topped 35% three times this year -- a level reached only three times in the previous 12 years (once each in 2006, 2009 and 2016).

Satisfaction with the nation is now back to the historical average of 37% for this trend, which was first measured in 1979, but is far below the majority levels reached in the economic boom times of the mid-1980s and late 1990s.

In its first four years (1979 and 1981-1983), satisfaction failed to reach 37% in any poll, but then routinely reached or exceeded that level in 1984 through 2005 polling, with the exception of 1992-1995 (excluding one 36% reading in 1994). After a January 2006 reading of 36%, satisfaction failed to surpass 35% the rest of that year, and with the economic calamities that followed over the next few years, it descended into single digits in two 2008 polls and has subsequently stayed mostly below 30%.

The rise in satisfaction over the past two months comes amid a spate of positive economic news -- including the shrinking of the unemployment rate to levels last seen in 2000 and the continuation of an economic expansion that is now the second longest on record. Other prominent national news stories have included independent counsel Robert Mueller's investigation into Russian collusion; President Donald Trump's decision to withdraw the United States from the Iran nuclear deal; and Trump's negotiations with North Korea that culminated in his meeting Tuesday with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.

Rise in Republican, Independent Satisfaction Pushes Rate Up Over Past Two Months

U.S. satisfaction has averaged 38% in May and June after averaging 29% in March and April. The nine-percentage-point bump between the two periods is entirely owing to increased satisfaction among Republicans and independents, pushing Republicans' satisfaction to 68% and independents' to 36%. Meanwhile, Democrats' satisfaction is unchanged at 13%.

	March-April	May-June	Increase
	%	%	pct. pts.
All adults	29	38	9
Party ID
Republicans	54	68	14
Independents	25	36	11
Democrats	13	13	0
Place of residence
Small/Large city	25	33	8
Suburb	32	38	6
Town/Rural area	30	44	14
Age
18-34	26	33	7
35-54	30	37	7
55+	29	41	12
Gender
Men	37	45	8
Women	21	31	10
Education
No college	31	40	9
Some college	29	39	10
College grad	27	37	10
Postgrad	23	30	7
Columns reflect combined Gallup polls of March 1-8 and April 2-11; and May 1-10 and June 1-13
GALLUP

Differences by place of residence, age, gender and education are mostly not as large as by party identification, and the amount of change from March-April to May-June was fairly uniform within the former groups. Democrats were the only major demographic group to show no increase in satisfaction. Those in groups that tend to have more Democrats than Republicans -- those younger than 35, city dwellers, women and those with postgraduate work -- are least likely to be satisfied, but satisfaction levels rose for all of these groups in the May-June aggregate.

Bottom Line

Though the vast majority of Americans have expressed pride in their country in polls stretching back more than 30 years, their pride has not meant they were satisfied with the way things were going. This has been especially true during times of economic duress -- though measuring the public's satisfaction with the nation encompasses far more than economics.

Now, at the midpoint of 2018, as the United States continues to enjoy a nine-year-long economic expansion, the number of Americans finding satisfaction in the country's direction is on the rise. This reflects more than a growing comfort with Donald Trump as president; growth in satisfaction has outstripped growth in Trump's approval rating. And it is more than economic good news -- the percentage satisfied has risen more over the past two months than the percentage who think the economy is in good shape or the percentage who think it's a good time to find a quality job.

As the nation moves toward November's midterm elections, as the Mueller investigation continues to unfold, as Trump continues to surprise both friends and foes with his actions, there are a multitude of possibilities for news that could affect satisfaction significantly in either direction.