A majority of voters believe the country is in cultural and economic decline, including majorities from those affiliated with both political parties.
A Trafalgar Group poll found that 72.5% of likely voters believe the United States is in decline both culturally and economically, compared to only 21.6% who do not believe so.
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When divided by political party, 91.7% of Republicans believe the country is in decline, compared to 5.8% who do not, while 50.7% of Democrats also believe the country is in decline, compared to 38.3% who do not. For nonparty-affiliated voters, 71.5% believe the U.S. is in decline, compared to 24% who believe it is not.
When asked how the perceived decline of the country can be remedied, a majority said they believe everyday people, rather than elected officials, are better suited, with 80.6% to 19.4%.
Unlike when asked about whether they believe the country is in decline, people of all political affiliations answered in similar percentages. Republicans, Democrats, and nonparty-affiliated voters each said everyday people are better suited to reverse the country's decline 80.7%, 72.1%, and 87.5%.
Pessimism about the country has been a staple of recent polls, with a polling average compiled by RealClearPolitics showing 67% of citizens believe the country is heading in the wrong direction, with only 23% saying they believe the country is going in the right direction.
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The most optimistic citizens have generally felt in recent history, according to the average, was in June 2021, when the percentage of people who believed the country was heading in the wrong direction briefly dipped below 50%, while still more than the number who said the country was going in the right direction.
Following that brief drop below 50%, the number of citizens bemoaning the direction of the country has grown to current figures. The most recent peak of discontent came in July 2022, when 76.4% said they believed the country was going in the wrong direction.