Gallup poll: Americans' Mood of the Nation at record low

A Gallup poll conducted just before Donald Trump took office for his second term highlights a handful of areas in which Americans believe the country is thriving, including the quality of life and the military, but they perceive many more areas to be falling short, such as morality and addressing poverty.

Americans’ average satisfaction across 31 different aspects of U.S. society or policy is 38%, matching the average each year during Joe Biden’s presidency. This is down from 41% in January 2021 as Donald Trump was finishing his first term, and from 48% in 2020, before the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Americans’ satisfaction with national conditions routinely averaged above 40% in all earlier years of the trend, including a record high of 54% in 2002. The five-point increase that year over the 49% measured in 2001 largely reflected Americans’ temporary rally behind the country in the months after the 9/11 attacks.

Americans’ overall satisfaction with the direction of the country is also historically on the low side, although today’s 20% satisfaction score, similar to the readings since 2023, is improved from 11% in January 2021. That reading captured public discontent during the COVID-19 pandemic as well as with the negative political climate after the 2020 election and Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol.

Most Americans Satisfied With Nation’s Military, Position of Societal Groups

Majorities of Americans are generally satisfied with the nation’s military strength, the overall quality of life, the position of women, the opportunity for people to get ahead, and the acceptance of gay and lesbian people in the country.

Americans are closely split on three other issues, with about as many dissatisfied as satisfied: the influence of organized religion, the nation’s security from terrorism, and the position of people who are Black or from other racial minority groups.

More Americans are dissatisfied than satisfied with all other aspects measured, spanning policies on healthcare, foreign affairs, immigration, the environment, guns, race relations, energy, crime, taxes, public education, abortion and the economy, among other issues. The last group includes the nation’s efforts to deal with poverty and homelessness, which, at 16%, garners the lowest satisfaction rating from Americans.

Notably, more Americans are satisfied with the quality of medical care in the U.S. (45%) than with the availability of affordable healthcare (29%). They are also more satisfied with the effect technology is having on society (43%) than with the size and influence of major corporations (25%).

Americans’ satisfaction with most of the specific issues is about the same as a year ago. Two exceptions where they have grown slightly more satisfied are race relations and gun policy, increasing by six percentage points each, to 36% and 37%, respectively. Americans’ already-low satisfaction with public education, healthcare and the size and power of the federal government has fallen further, each by five or six points.

Given the timing of the survey, these results offer a baseline for evaluating whether Americans' assessments of the country change during Trump's second term, rather than reflecting his handling of the issues so far.

Bottom Line

Trump assumes office at a time of persistently low satisfaction with the U.S., overall, and with many specific aspects of the country, which is consistent with Americans’ belief that the U.S. lost more ground than it gained during Biden’s presidency.

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