Aug 4, 2020 - Politics & Policy

Americans' satisfaction with state of the nation has plunged 32 points since February

Trump

Photo: Alex Wong/Getty Images

Americans' satisfaction with how things are going in the U.S. has plunged 32 points to 13% since reaching a 15-year high in February, per Gallup polling released Tuesday.

Why it matters: The result, which marks a nine-year low for the metric, comes amid mass unemployment, civil unrest and the nation's coronavirus surge — and as President Trump tries to win another term in November.

  • The all-time low for American satisfaction was in October 2008 during the depths of the Great Recession (7%). Gallup has tracked the metric since 1979.

Between the lines: Republicans are leading the fallout, but they don't blame Trump.

  • Republicans' satisfaction in the poll hit 20% — down from 39% a month ago. The prior low for Republicans during the Trump administration was 38%.
  • However, Trump's approval rating remains at 91% among members of his party.

Yes, but: Independents, a key 2020 demographic, show falling satisfaction with both the state of the nation and Trump himself.

Methodology: The Gallup poll was conducted from July 1 through July 23 and is based on interviews with a random sample of 1,007 adults. The margin of error is +/- 4.

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