Americans Can't Get No Satisfaction; Gallup Poll Finds Nation Unhappier Now Than Before The Election

Americans are more dissatisfied with the way things are going now than they were before Election Day, a Gallup survey released Wednesday indicated.

The poll of 1,019 adults Nov. 9-13 indicated only 27 percent of Americans are satisfied with the way things are going, down 10 points from the decade-high 37 percent in a survey released Election Day.

Gallup has asked the question more than 300 times since 1979. The 27 percent result is average for 2016 but 10 points below the historical average for the survey.

The drop was caused by a sharp decline in satisfaction among Democrats. Before the election, 62 percent said they were satisfied. That dropped to 34 percent in the more recent survey. In October, 49 percent of Democrats were satisfied.

Republican attitudes were much more consistent. Satisfaction rose from 8 percent in October to 14 percent just before the election to 17 percent following Donald Trump’s victory — the highest level since President Barack Obama took office in 2009.

The overall dissatisfaction since 2009 is seen as the result of the economic shocks that rocked the U.S. economy. During Obama’s presidency, satisfaction has averaged 24 percent, the lowest for any president since Ronald Reagan’s inauguration in 1981.

Trump’s inauguration is not expected to boost satisfaction levels given his overall unpopularity even among his supporters. If Trump is able to make good on his promises to cut unemployment and boost the economy, that may change, Gallup said in its analysis.

Sixty-two percent of the 1,000 adults surveyed Nov. 10-11 said they expected Trump to be able to reduce unemployment and create new jobs while 60 percent said they expect the economy to improve under his tenure. Only a third said they expect Trump to improve race relations or improve the environment while only 38 percent said they believe he will keep the nation out of war.

Trump is given props on immigration and efforts to fight terrorism.

Both surveys had a 4-point margin of error and 95 percent confidence level.