26% Say U.S. Heading in Right Direction

Twenty-six percent (26%) 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 July 20.

This is up one point from the previous two weeks, the lowest finding since the beginning of December. The number who say the country is heading in the right direction has been less than 30% 21 out of 29 weeks this year.

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

Sixty-seven percent (67%) of voters now think the country is headed down the wrong track. That's unchanged for the past month and remains the highest negative of 2014. Eighty percent (80%) felt the country was on the wrong track in early October.

A year ago, 26% said the country was heading in the right direction, while 65% said it was going down the wrong track.

(Want a free daily e-mail update? If it's in the news, it's in our polls). Rasmussen Reports updates are also available on Twitter or Facebook.

The national telephone survey of 3,500 Likely Voters was conducted by Rasmussen Reports on July 14-20, 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 72% of voters not affiliated with either major political party think the country is on the wrong track. Democrats are evenly divided.

Eighty-seven percent (87%) of conservative voters and 64% of moderates say the country is on the wrong track. Liberals disagree by a narrow 48% to 42% margin.

Fifty percent (50%) of black voters think the country is heading in the right direction. Seventy-three percent (73%) of whites and 59% of other minority voters say the country is headed down the wrong track.

Evangelical Christians feel even more strongly than those of other faiths that the country is heading down the wrong track. 

Americans continue to hold a gloomy assessment of the economy’s chances for improvement in both the short- and long-term. Even as thousands of new illegal immigrants flood over the border, more Americans than ever doubt whether it is possible for most people in this country to escape being poor.

Most voters want to send the latest wave of illegal immigrants back home as soon as possible.

Voters strongly agree that the United States is a more divided nation these days, but Republicans are the most eager to do something about it at the ballot box in November.

Democrats and Republicans are tied on the latest Generic Congressional Ballot.

Crosstabs and historical data are available to Platinum Members only.

Please sign up for the Rasmussen Reports daily e-mail update (it's free) or follow us on Twitter or Facebook. Let us keep you up to date with the latest public opinion news.