27% Say U.S. Heading in Right Direction

Twenty-seven percent (27%) 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 December 21. 

This finding is up two points from the previous week. The number of voters who think the country is on the right course has now ranged from 23% to 27% nearly every week since early June and has been below 30% most weeks since June of last year.

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

A year ago at this time, 29% said the country was heading in the right direction, while 64% thought it was headed down the wrong track.

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The national telephone survey of 3,500 Likely Voters was conducted by Rasmussen Reports from December 15-21, 2014. 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.

Eighty-five percent (85%) of Republicans and 66% of voters not affiliated with either major political party think the country is on the wrong track. Democrats disagree by a 47% to 42% margin.
  
Half (49%) of black voters think the country is heading in the right direction. Sixty-nine percent (69%) of whites and 50% of other minority voters disagree.

Voters over 40 are more pessimistic about the direction of the country than younger voters are.

Eighty-four percent (84%) of conservatives and 60% of moderates say the country is heading down the wrong track. Half (49%) of liberals disagree and say the country is headed in the right direction.

Those who are married and have children at home are more likely to say the country is heading down the wrong track.

Most Americans oppose Sony’s decision not to release the film, “The Interview,” following threats from North Korea. One-in-four voters think the North Korean government wants a war with the United States. Most American adults favor U.S. involvement if North Korea is proven to be behind the Sony Attacks.

Most voters continue to hold a negative opinion of Obamacare and remain committed to the belief that consumers should have choices when it comes to health insurance.

As of Monday, 22% of Americans had not started their Christmas shopping.

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