Nearly 90 per cent of Americans unhappy at state of US, poll shows

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.

Biden, however, leads in every other category. Voters placed more confidence in his ability to handle law enforcement and criminal justice issues, foreign policy, the coronavirus outbreak, race relations and to bring the country closer together.

Trump’s lowest mark is on bringing the country together – only 31 per cent of voters express confidence in the president in that area.

Biden opens up largest polling lead of the year over Trump

The Pew survey’s results are similar to the findings of polls released in the past week that found Biden holding a double-digit lead over Trump. A New York Times/Siena College poll released on Wednesday found Biden up 14 points over Trump nationally. A Fox News poll released days earlier found Biden leading by 12 points.

But while Biden has led in every independent public poll released since April, a USA Today poll released on Tuesday shows he still suffers from a gap in enthusiasm. Half of Trump supporters say they are “very excited” to vote for him; only 27 per cent of Biden supporters felt that way.

On personality traits, Biden is viewed by 60 per cent of voters as even-tempered in the Pew survey; only a quarter of voters see Trump that way. Only 7 per cent of voters believe Trump to be “very” even-tempered.

Biden is also viewed by more Americans as being a good role model, honest and as someone who cares about the needs of ordinary people. Trump is seen as more energetic and courageous, though the president only leads Biden by one percentage point when it comes to the perception of courage.

The Pew study finds men split in their support with 50 per cent favouring Biden and 48 per cent for Trump. Women favour Biden 57 per cent to 41 per cent.

White Americans favour Trump 53 per cent to 45 per cent whereas nearly 90 per cent of black Americans back Biden. Two-thirds of Hispanics support Biden compared with 32 per cent who back Trump. Voters living in battleground states favoured Biden by six points, 52 per cent to 46 per cent.