US satisfaction falls to lowest point in 9 years, poll finds
(CNN) — US satisfaction in the state of national affairs is at 13% — falling from a 15-year high just before the coronavirus pandemic hit to the lowest it has been in nine years, according to a Gallup poll released Tuesday.
The poll, conducted from July 1 to 23, found that 13% of Americans said they were satisfied when asked if they were satisfied or dissatisfied “with the ways things are going in the United States at this time.” The dip marked the lowest satisfaction has been since 2011 and tied for the ninth lowest since Gallup began measuring satisfaction in 1979. The finding comes on the heels of a 45% satisfaction rate in February 2020 — the highest since 2005.
The fall in satisfaction comes as the coronavirus pandemic continues on across many states — bringing with it testing delays and a tense wait for a vaccine — and after months of nationwide demonstrations against institutionalized racism and police brutality. President Donald Trump has faced record low numbers on his coronavirus performance in recent weeks, as well as criticism from members of his own party for his handling of the response to the virus.
The public’s perception of the pandemic has often split along party lines. A poll out from Pew Research Center in June found a sharp partisan divide over concerns about coronavirus, with 61% of Republicans and Republican-leaning independents saying the worst is behind us while 76% of Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents think the worst is still to come.
But the declining satisfaction rate released Tuesday is due in no small part to decreased Republican satisfaction, Gallup found.
Republican satisfaction has tumbled since hitting 80% in February, halving to 39% satisfaction in June and nearly halving again to 20% in the July answers released Tuesday. Democrats’ satisfaction, meanwhile, decreased from 13% in February to 6% in June and then up to 7% in July. Independents’ satisfaction dropped from 38% to 18% and 12%, respectively, during those same months.