Fifty-nine percent (59%) of U.S. voters believe that the current level of political anger in the country is higher than it was when George W. Bush was president.

A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that only 22% think the level of political anger is lower now, while 16% rate it as about the same.

Despite frequent Republican complaints about the vitriol leveled at President Bush, 69% of GOP voters say the level of anger is higher now, a view shared by 53% of Democrats and 56% of voters not affiliated with either party.

But just 12% of voters nationwide say that the opposition to President Obama’s health care plan and other initiatives is racist, as some prominent Democrats, including former President Jimmy Carter, have charged.

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Sixty-six percent (66%) of all voters say they’re at least somewhat angry about the current policies of the federal government, including 36% who are Very Angry.
Among those voters who are Very Angry, 74% say the level of anger is higher now, while 13% say it’s lower and 12% say it’s about the same.
Even the majority of those who are now very or not at all angry about the government’s actions right now say the level of political anger is higher under Obama.
Forty-three percent (43%) of voters are at least somewhat concerned that the political anger will turn violent, with 22% who are Very Concerned. But 54% are not that worried about potential political violence.
Anger at Bush’s policies, particularly the war in Iraq, played a major role in Obama’s election last November over Republican candidate John McCain. In the final full month of his presidency, just 13% of Americans said they Strongly Approved of the way that Bush performed his job, giving him an overall job approval rating of –30 in the Rasmussen Reports daily Presidential Tracking Poll.

By comparison, although Obama has been tracking in negative territory for weeks, 31% of the nation's voters Strongly Approve of the way he is performing as president. His job approval rating stands at –8 in the daily Presidential Tracking Poll.
Just before Bush left office in January, 57% of Americans said he was one of the five worst presidents in U.S. history.

Most voters (56%) continue to blame the nation’s current economic problems on the recession that started under Bush, but 37% blame the policies implemented by Obama.

Adding to the level of anger is the new finding that 75% of adults now say Americans are becoming ruder and less civilized.

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