29% Say U.S. Heading in Right Direction

Twenty-nine percent (29%) of Likely U.S. Voters think the country is heading in the right direction, according to a new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey for the week ending October 5.

The number who say the country is heading in the right direction is up four points from the previous week and is the highest finding since early June. This number has been below 30% most weeks during the past year.

Sixty-three percent (63%) of voters now believe the nation is headed down the wrong track. This is down two points from the previous survey.

A year ago at this time during the partial federal government shutdown, 17% said the country was heading in the right direction, while 76% thought it was going down the wrong track. The following week confidence in the country’s course fell to 13%, the lowest finding in five years, while 80% said the country was on the wrong track.

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The national telephone survey of 3,500 Likely Voters was conducted by Rasmussen Reports on September 30-October 5, 2014. The margin of sampling error for the survey is +/- 2 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Fieldwork for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC. See methodology.

Eighty-six percent (86%) of Republicans and 66% of voters not affiliated with either major political party think the country is on the wrong track. Half (49%) of Democrats say the country is headed in the right direction.

Sixty-eight percent (68%) of whites and 52% of other minority voters say the country is headed down the wrong track. A plurality (47%) of blacks thinks the country is headed in the right direction instead.

Seventy-one percent (71%) of the Political Class believe the country is headed in the right direction, but 73% of Mainstream voters disagree. 

Eighty-three percent (83%) of conservatives and 58% of moderates say the country is headed down the wrong track. Fifty-two percent (52%) of liberals feel the country is going in the right direction.

Working Americans overwhelmingly (85%) still consider themselves middle class, including 19% who describe themselves as upper middle class. But more voters than ever (67%) say the U.S. economy is unfair to the middle class.

Americans believe they have a better chance for career advancement at their current job.

Few think recent high school graduates have the skills necessary to enter college or the workforce.

Most Americans (58%) believe the United States should impose a temporary ban on all airline flights from countries in Africa where there are confirmed cases of Ebola.

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