GALLUP NEWS SERVICE
PRINCETON, NJ -- Every month, Gallup asks Americans the following question: "In general, are you satisfied or dissatisfied with the way things are going in the United States at this time?"
Since March 2006, Americans' overall level of satisfaction with the state of the nation has been at or below 30%. Earlier in the year, this sentiment was higher -- between 35% and 36%. To get a better understanding of how different groups of Americans answer this question, Gallup combined the results of the four polls conducted from March 2006 through June 2006, when satisfaction was at or below 30%.
Here is a look at how different groups of Americans rank in their overall level of satisfaction with the way things are going right now:
|
Satisfaction with State of the Nation
March-June 2006 Aggregate
|
|
Satisfied
|
|
%
|
|
Republicans
|
55
|
|
Conservatives
|
41
|
|
Men, aged 18 to 49
|
35
|
|
College graduates
|
33
|
|
Income of $75,0000 or more per year
|
33
|
|
30- to 49-year-olds
|
32
|
|
Men
|
32
|
|
Attend church weekly/almost weekly
|
32
|
|
Southerners
|
31
|
|
Midwesterners
|
30
|
|
Post-graduate education
|
30
|
|
Whites
|
30
|
|
Westerners
|
29
|
|
Some college education
|
29
|
|
18- to 29-year-olds
|
29
|
|
Income between $30,000-$74,999 per year
|
29
|
|
Protestant
|
29
|
|
National average
|
28
|
|
Men, aged 50 and older
|
28
|
|
Women, aged 18 to 49
|
28
|
|
Catholic
|
28
|
|
High school education or less
|
25
|
|
50- to 64-year-olds
|
25
|
|
Women
|
25
|
|
Attend church monthly
|
25
|
|
Seldom/never attend church
|
25
|
|
Moderates
|
24
|
|
65 years and older
|
23
|
|
Independents
|
22
|
|
Income of less than $30,000 per year
|
22
|
|
Easterners
|
21
|
|
Women, aged 50 and older
|
21
|
|
No religious affiliation
|
21
|
|
Blacks
|
15
|
|
Democrats
|
11
|
|
Liberals
|
11
|
As the table illustrates, partisanship and political ideology play a significant role in Americans' overall level of satisfaction. Republicans' and conservatives' level of satisfaction is much higher than the national average -- which stands at 28% across the four surveys -- while satisfaction is much lower than the national average among Democrats and liberals.
Survey Methods
Results are based on telephone interviews with 4,009 national adults, aged 18 and older, conducted across four surveys from March 2006 through June 2006. For results based on the total sample of national adults, one can say with 95% confidence that the margin of sampling error is ±3 percentage points for each individual survey. In addition to sampling error, question wording and practical difficulties in conducting surveys can introduce error or bias into the findings of public opinion polls.
