Americans see doom and gloom in future

Editor's note: This is another in a series of "WND/WENZEL POLLS" conducted exclusively for WND by the public-opinion research and media consulting company Wenzel Strategies.

Nearly half of Americans believe the next generation will be worse off than the current one, according to a new poll.

Just 52 percent think America's best days are still ahead of it, while 48 percent said they think the best days of our nation are gone, the WND poll by Wenzel Strategies found.

"This is likely a function of the on-going economic malaise in the country and a reflection of the fact that there is precious little leadership in Washington to solve nagging problems in the nation," said pollster Fritz Wenzel.

The telephone survey was conducted from April 25-29 and has a margin of error of 3.03 percentage points.

The poll found that just 51 percent of Americans believe their own life is better than their parents.

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"The survey makes it clear the Americans believe we have hit the pinnacle during their lifetime, and that the lives the next generation will lead will be worse. While 51 percent said they believe their life is better than that of their parents, just 30 percent said they think the lives of the next generation will be better," Wenzel said.

"It is hard to find much good news in these data, but it is not surprising, given the current state of affairs of American life. News reports of record numbers of citizens on government welfare programs, a national debt that grows by billions every day, and no hope that there will be any serious improvement," Wenzel said.

"This survey finding is the single greatest indictment against the Obama administration and its failure to serve the American people," he added.

"People in large numbers appear to have given up hope, little by little. Many are losing hope for the lives of their children, and they are also now losing hope for their own futures. The biggest remaining question is – can our national spirit survive until the inauguration of our next president."

Regarding the nation's best days, 61 percent of the GOP respondents and 53 percent of the independents said they are over. Conversely, 70 percent of Democrats look forward to the best days.

The feeling was concentrated heavily among the liberal and very liberal respondent, as nearly 70 percent of the very conservative respondents said the best days are done.

Interestingly, those in the East region of the United States, closest to the center of power in Washington, were most emphatic that the best days are gone. The Midwest respondents were the most optimistic.

Regarding the parents of the current generation, Democrats overwhelmingly said their own lives were better.

On the key question of expectations, only 16 percent of Republicans, about one in six, said the next generation's lives will be better. Independents were in that neighborhood, with only 24 percent expecting improvements to come.

Nearly 80 percent of Republicans said that with the nation's current trajectory, the next generation's lives will be worse.

See detailed results of survey questions:

Thinking about America and the opportunity that its citizens enjoy, do you think that America's best days are behind it or that its best days are still ahead in the future?

All things considered, are you living a better life than did your parents, or do you believe they are living a better life than you are currently living?

All things considered, do you think the next generation of Americans will live a better life than you now live, or do you believe that you are living a better life today than they will enjoy in the future?