Around the same mark before elections in 2012.
Less than one-third of Americans are satisfied with the state of affairs in the US, said a survey conducted by Gallup ahead of presidential elections in November. According to the survey, only 28 percent people are satisfied with the way things are going in the US.
The survey shows the low level of satisfaction which started nearly before the end of George W. Bush’s term continued throughout the period of Barrack Obama’s administration and still prevails in the country. It remains significantly lower than the historical average of 37% since 1979 when Gallup started the survey.
The incidents like police shooting black men have a bearing on the outlook of people. This was evident in the results of the survey conducted by Gallup in July this year when only 17 percent people were satisfied. The survey was conducted shortly after police shootings in Louisiana and Minnesota that killed black men, and Dallas shooting where five police officers were fatally shot.
The July satisfaction rate was the lowest since October 2013 and improved after the media started focusing on other issues and reached the level before July.
America had shown similar results months before the 2012 presidential election when the satisfaction level was at 30 percent. But, the scenario changed immediately before the election and satisfaction rose to 33 percent as Americans approved the way the Obama administration managed the aftermath of hurricane Sandy. This may worry Hillary Clinton campaign as she has declared that she is the only candidate who can continue the policies of Obama administration.
Part-wise statistics reveal that only half of Democrats and one-tenth of Republicans are satisfied with the state of affairs of the country. While 49 percent Democrats and 24 percent of independents are satisfied with the country’s direction, only 8 percent Republicans replied positively. Four years back, the rates were 53, 29, and 7 percent respectively.
As the rate of satisfaction today is almost equal to 2012, Clinton camp may hope to make it to the White House.
America’s low satisfaction level may influence the voting percentage in any direction in the November election. Either they may be motivated to vote for change or they may be discouraged to vote expecting no improvement.
The results are based on telephone interviews conducted Oct. 5-9, 2016, with a random sample of 1,017 adults, aged 18 and older, living in all 50 U.S. states and the District of Columbia.