Forty-one percent (41%) of Americans believe that our nation’s best days remain ahead of us. A Rasmussen Reports survey of 1,000 Likely Voters found that 42% disagree and say that our best days have already come and gone (see crosstabs).

That’s a far less optimistic assessment than we found in January 2004. At that time, 48% thought the best was yet to come while 35% took the opposite view. In January 2005 a survey of adults found that 42% took the optimistic view and 38% were pessimistic.

The biggest change is found among Republicans. In January 2004, 55% of Republicans were looking forward to a brighter future while 29% were not. Today, those figures are 41% and 42% respectively. Democrats were evenly divided in 2004 and remain so today. Rasmussen Reports will measure this benchmark of American attitudes on a regular basis during the transition of power in Washington.

Among those under 30, just 40% now say the nation's best days are yet to come, down from 57% in 2004. Men and women are both less optimistic now than they were in 2004.

Other recent surveys have found that just 15% of American voters believe that Congress is doing a good or excellent job. Fifty-six percent (56%) of Americans rate the situation in Iraq as poor. Despite this, the economic confidence of American consumers and investors is nearing its highest level of the post-9/11 era.

Visit our Election 2006 scorecard to compare Rasmussen Reports final polls with actual election results in the Senate and Governor’s races.

Crosstabs are available to Premium Members only.