Nearly two-thirds of American adults say the country is headed in the wrong direction – the highest level of pessimism about the nation’s direction recorded in a McClatchy-Marist poll since President Obama assumed office over two years ago.
Immediately after the midterm elections, Obama seemed to be turning a corner, as Americans had more rosy opinions of both him and the nation’s direction. But in the past few months, that brief bump has been quickly reversed.
In the poll, 64% of respondents said the country was headed in the wrong direction, while just 30% said it was headed in the right direction. That’s a stunning turnaround since January when 41% said the country was on the right track, and 47% said it was on the wrong track.
The current level of pessimism is the highest of Obama’s presidency, and is on par with levels measured during the waning months of the Bush presidency.
The latest TPM Poll Average shows that 67% of Americans think the country is headed in the wrong direction, compared to 26.3% who think the opposite.
It’s the second poll this week to show Americans making an about face in the views on the country’s direction. In a Washington Post/ABC News poll released today, the percentage of Americans who said the economy was getting worse reached a two-year high.
The Marist poll was conducted April 10-14 among 1,274 adults nationwide. It has a margin of error of 3.0%.
