A new poll that shows only 28 percent of Americans “are satisfied with the way things are going in the U.S.” might be of concern to Hillary Clinton supporters.
“Hillary Clinton has said she is the only candidate who will continue Obama’s policies, so her supporters might be worried that less than a third of Americans are satisfied with the country’s direction near the end of Obama’s second term,” explains Gallup.
The poll shows the level of support for the country’s current direction is about the same as it was before Obama’s 2012 election win. That year, however, approval surged abruptly before Election Day on his handling of the effects of Superstorm Sandy, when even Republican Gov. Chris Christie cozied up to him.
“Heading into the Nov. 8 general election this year, 49 percent of Democrats, 24 percent of independents and 8 percent of Republicans are satisified with the country’s direction,” Gallup said. “Republican numbers are almost identical to four years ago – when 7 percent were satisfied. Democrats (53 percent) and independents (29 percent) were slightly more like to be satisified in October 2012 than they are now.
The pollster said the “finding that fewer than one in three Americans are satisfied with the way things are going in the U.S. could appear ominous for the Democratic Party’s chances of holding on to the White House in 2016.”
“While Clinton may pin her hopes for winning on convincing Americans of the need to continue with the course Obama has set, she would also benefit from convincing voters she can improve on what Obama has accomplished.
“On the other hand, Republican Donald Trump has been able to focus heavily on his claims about what has gone wrong with the direction of the U.S. under Obama. With seven in 10 Americans expressing dissatisfaction with the nation’s course, Trump has a large audience who agrees with his contention that the country is on the wrong track, even if many may not agree with his explanations for why that is the case.
“Trump’s challenge is to convince Americans that the would be able to make things better in the future if elected.”
Gallup reported the satisfaction levels fell near the end of the George W. Bush administration, when the economy was tanking, and “have persisted under President Barack Obama.”
The report said that in addition to “influencing the outcome of the election, Americans’ low satisfaction level could affect voter turnout on Nov. 8.”
“When citizens are frustrated with the way things are going in the nation, they may be motivated to vote for change. Alternatively, their frustration could discourage them from voting. Gallup research from September found Americans were less sure they will vote in this year’s election than they were in each of the past four presidential elections. One reason voters may be less inclined to vote despite high dissatisfaction levels is their dislike of the two candidates. Both Clinton and Trump have historically low favorability ratings.”
The results are based on phone interviews Oct. 5-9 with a random sample of 1,017 adults from all 50 states and the District of Columbia. The margin of error is plus or minus four percentage points.
