Americans’ overall level of satisfaction with the way things are going in the country is quite low, currently at 35%. The chart displays the trend in satisfaction for midterm election years since 1990. Satisfaction with the state of the nation this year has averaged just 31%. This is at low levels that Gallup also observed in 1982 and 1994, both years in which the incumbent party lost significant numbers of congressional seats. This suggests a difficult environment for Republicans in the elections this November.
General Mood of the Nation
(Percent
saying satisfied with the way things are going)
Among National Adults
|
|
Election |
Net change in Dem. seats |
Jan. |
Feb. |
Mar. |
Apr. |
May |
Jun. |
Jul. |
Aug. |
Sep. (1) |
Sep. (2) |
Sep. (3) |
Oct. (1) |
Oct. (2) |
Oct. (3) |
Final Poll |
|
1974 |
59-41 D |
+43 |
|||||||||||||||
|
1978 |
55-46 D |
-11 |
|||||||||||||||
|
1982 |
56-44 D |
+26 |
25 |
24 |
|||||||||||||
|
1986 |
-- |
+5 |
66 |
69 |
58 |
||||||||||||
|
1990 |
54-46 D |
+9 |
55 |
45 |
43 |
51 |
37 |
29 |
31 |
||||||||
|
1994 |
54-47 R |
-53 |
35 |
36 |
35 |
32 |
33 |
33 |
31 |
||||||||
|
1998 |
50-50 R |
+5 |
63 |
62 |
58 |
59 |
62 |
||||||||||
|
2002 |
52-48 R |
-3 |
65 |
61 |
61 |
61 |
56 |
52 |
49 |
47 |
47 |
47 |
48 |
||||
|
2006 |
-- |
-- |
35 |
35 |
29 |
27 |
25 |
30 |
32 |
28 |
32 |
30 |
35 |
In general, are you satisfied or dissatisfied with the way things are going in the United States at this time?
|
Satisfied |
Dissatisfied |
No opinion |
|
|
% |
% |
% |
|
|
2006 |
|||
|
2006 Nov 2-5 |
35 |
61 |
4 |
|
2006 Oct 9-12 |
30 |
68 |
2 |
|
2006 Sep 7-10 |
32 |
67 |
2 |
|
2006 Aug 7-10 |
28 |
69 |
3 |
|
2006 Jul 21-23 |
33 |
65 |
2 |
|
2006 Jul 6-9 |
32 |
65 |
3 |
|
2006 Jun 1-4 |
30 |
67 |
2 |
|
2006 May 8-11 |
25 |
72 |
3 |
|
2006 Apr 10-13 |
27 |
71 |
2 |
|
2006 Mar 13-16 |
29 |
68 |
2 |
|
2006 Feb 6-9 |
35 |
62 |
3 |
|
2006 Jan 20-22 |
35 |
62 |
3 |
|
2006 Jan 9-12 |
36 |
61 |
3 |