23% Say U.S. Heading in Right Direction

Twenty-three percent (23%) 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 August 3.

This finding, down one point from the week before, marks the lowest level of confidence since the middle of October when the country was in the midst of the temporary government shutdown. The number who say the country is heading in the right direction has been steadily falling since mid-June and has been less than 30% for most of this year.

Early last October during the shutdown, confidence in the country’s course fell to 13%, the lowest finding in five years.

Sixty-nine percent (69%) of voters now think the country is headed down the wrong track. This finding, up one point from last week, is the highest negative finding since last November. Eighty percent (80%) felt the country was on the wrong track in early October 2013.

A year ago, 27% said the country was heading in the right direction, while 65% said it was going down the wrong track.

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The national telephone survey of 3,500 Likely Voters was conducted by Rasmussen Reports on July 28-August 3, 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-nine percent (89%) of Republicans and 76% of voters not affiliated with either major political party think the country is on the wrong track. Democrats are evenly divided.

Fifty-three percent (53%) of blacks believe the country is headed in the right direction, but 75% of whites and 62% of other minority voters disagree.

Generally speaking, the more one attends regular religious services, the more likely he or she is to think the country is on the wrong track. 

President Obama's monthly job approval rating fell two points to 46% in July, his lowest monthly approval rating this year.

Just six percent (6%) think Congress is doing a good or excellent job. 

Only 13% now think the federal government is doing a good or excellent job dealing with the illegal immigration problem in this country.

Most voters predict Obamacare will make the health care system worse. 

But Americans are more optimistic about their job prospects than they have been for most of the past five years. More Americans than ever are confident that in one year’s time they will be earning more money. 

Crosstabs and historical data are available to Platinum Members only.

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