28% Think U.S. Heading in Right Direction

Twenty-eight percent (28%) of Likely U.S. Voters now think the country is heading in the right direction, according to a new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey for the week ending May 7. 

This finding is up one point from 27% the week before and 26% two weeks ago, the lowest finding since mid-December. In January and February, 30% or more of voters said the country was heading in the right direction after generally being in the mid- to high 20s since mid-June 2013.

Sixty-three percent (63%) now believe the nation is headed down the wrong track, down two points from last week.

A year ago at this time, 29% felt the country was heading in the right direction, while 63% thought it was on the wrong track.

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The national telephone survey of 2,500 Likely Voters was conducted by Rasmussen Reports from May 3-7, 2015. The margin of sampling error for the survey is +/- 2 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Field work for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC. See methodology.

Voters over 40 are more likely to think the country is heading in the wrong direction than younger voters are.

Eighty-six percent (86%) of Republicans and 65% of voters not affiliated with either major political party say the country is on the wrong track. Democrats disagree by a narrow 46% to 42% margin.

Forty-two percent (42%) of blacks and other minority voters now think the country is heading in the right direction. Thirty-six percent (36%) think it is on the wrong track, a view shared by 70% of whites and 51% of other minority voters.

Seventy-one percent (71%) of all Americans say their religious faith is important in their daily life, with 49% who consider it Very Important.

Americans still believe strongly their fellow citizens could use some manners.

Twenty-two percent (22%) say the economy has negatively affected their personal relationship with a friend or family member, and 31% have gotten into a heated argument with a friend or family member over who is to blame for the state of the economy and how it should be fixed.

Opposition to Obamacare’s requirement that every American have health insurance is over 50% for the first time in months, even as more voters report that someone in their family has purchased health insurance through one of the exchanges established under the new law.

Following the abortive terrorist attack in Texas last weekend, most Americans agree that Islamic terrorism is now a bigger threat inside the United States.

Despite a federal appeals court ruling that the National Security Agency's mass collection of Americans' phone records is illegal, voters are more supportive than ever of the NSA’s actions and put even more emphasis on preventing a terrorist attack over protecting privacy.

Voters overwhelmingly favor requiring cops to wear uniform cameras, but will it make us all safer?

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