Nearly 90 per cent of Americans unhappy at state of US, poll shows
- Findings could mean bad news for Trump, with high level of dissatisfaction playing into voters’ decisions as election nears
- Biden leads in almost all categories, but separate survey shows Democratic presidential candidate faces enthusiasm gap among supporters
Nearly nine out of every 10 Americans polled said they were dissatisfied with the state of the country, and their unhappiness was affecting their political decisions four months before the presidential election, a new study from Pew Research Centre shows.
Only 17 per cent of Americans of any party say they are “proud” of the US while 71 per cent say they feel angry and 66 per cent fearful. Just 12 per cent of Americans say they are satisfied with the direction of the country, less than half of the 31 per cent who said the same in a study in April; 87 per cent now say they are dissatisfied.
The latest Pew online panel survey, which tracks opinions of the same respondents over time, was conducted June 16-22 – just as the number of coronavirus cases spiked in sunbelt states and the recession deepened. It has a margin of error of 1.8 percentage points.
This unhappiness is affecting perceptions of President Donald Trump, who is 10 percentage points behind Democratic nominee Joe Biden. Some 54 per cent of registered voters back Biden and 44 per cent support Trump. The president’s approval rating dropped to 39 per cent, while 59 per cent of Americans disapproved.
In the April survey, Trump’s approval was 44 per cent.
Still, a slim majority of Americans say Trump has a better handle on the economy than Biden. Amid a recession, Trump leads Biden by three points, 51 per cent to 48 per cent, among voters who said they are very or somewhat confident in the candidate’s ability to make good decisions about economic policy.
