A September 2024 Gallup poll asking Americans if they were satisfied or dissatisfied with the way things are going in the United States found 22% satisfied and 76% dissatisfied. Scanning headlines about these poll results, you might think that this was historically unusual. In fact, it has been more than 20 years since a majority of Americans said they were satisfied with the direction of their country, a period that covers the presidencies of two Republicans and two Democrats. The last time a majority were satisfied was the beginning of January 2004 (55%-43%), three weeks after the capture of Saddam Hussein. This euphoria wore off almost immediately.

Except for a brief period between January and March 2020, the satisfaction percentage hasn’t even topped 40% since July 2005.

Gallup first asked this question, in one form or another, in 1979. The response wasn’t always so negative. For example, a majority of Americans said they were satisfied between January 1998 and July 2001 and again, following the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, until June 2002.

Having said this, the most recent result of 22% satisfied is not unusually low. It dropped to 11% for January 4-15, 2021, during which time supporters of Donald Trump invaded the Capitol and tried to stop the counting of the Electoral College votes, a procedure which, until then, was looked at as a boring formality.

Nonetheless, the problem of widespread dissatisfaction goes much deeper than current events. The capture of Saddam Hussein may have excited Americans for a few weeks in 2004, but the killing of Osama bin Laden, just seven years later, only raised the satisfaction level four points (from 22% to 26%) and went back down immediately.

Again according to Gallup, the last time a majority of Americans had a favorable view of the Democratic Party was in August 2009. The Republicans? Except for one poll in January 2020, no majority favorable since April 2005. Because there are only two major parties, is it really surprising that there is such a sense of pessimism?

-David Wallechinsky

For More Information:

Satisfaction With the United States (Gallup)

Party Images (Gallup)

Don’t Like Clinton or Trump? Just Shut Up and Watch TV (by David Wallechinsky, AllGov)