Thread: Five-year Low: 13% Say U.S. Heading in Right Direction

Right Direction or Wrong Track

Five-year Low: 13% Say U.S. Heading in Right Direction

in Politics
Wednesday, October 16, 2013

The number of U.S. voters who feel the country is heading in the right direction has fallen to the lowest level of the Obama presidency.
Just 13% of Likely U.S. Voters now say the country is heading in the right direction, according to a new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey for the week ending October 13. That's down from 17% the week before and the lowest finding since the week of October 20-26, 2008, when George W. Bush was still president.
Confidence in the country's direction has fallen 15 points since the government shutdown began two weeks ago and is down from a high of 43% the week before Election Day last fall.
After President Obama assumed office in January 2009, the number of voters who felt the country was heading in the right direction rose to 40% in early May of that year. In 2010 and 2011, confidence fell to the narrow range of 14% to 19%, levels similar to those measured in the final months of the Bush administration. Optimism began easing up again in mid-December 2011.
Eighty percent (80%) of voters now think the country is heading down the wrong track, up 17 points from two weeks ago and the highest level of pessimism since the week of August 6-11, 2011. From January 2009 until October 2012, belief that the country was on the wrong track ranged from 55% to 80%, but it tracked in the low 50s from just before Election Day until early December.
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The national telephone survey of 3,500 Likely Voters was conducted by Rasmussen Reports on October 7-October 13, 2013. The margin of sampling error for the survey is +/- 2 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Fieldwork for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC. See methodology.
Ninety-one percent (91%) of Republicans say the country is on the wrong track, unchanged from last week, but now 85% of unaffiliated voters agree, up six points from a week ago. Two-out-of-three Democrats (66%) also share that view, a major shift from two weeks ago when just 41% felt that way.
Only 27% of black voters now think the country is heading in the right direction, down from 49% a week ago. But they're still more optimistic than whites and other minority voters are.
Voters under 40 are now only slightly less pessimistic than their elders.
Eighty-seven percent (87%) of Mainstream voters say the country is on the wrong track, a view shared by 53% of the Political Class.
Democrats have jumped to a seven-point lead over Republicans on the latest Generic Congressional Ballot.
Ninety-six percent (96%) of voters who favor the Republican on the generic ballot think the country is heading in the wrong direction, compared to 64% of those who prefer the Democrat.
Seventy-eight percent (78%) of all voters would vote to get rid of the entire current Congressand start over again.
But two weeks into the partial government shutdown, ask voters which party they want in charge of the entire Congress, and 46% say the Democrats while 45% choose the GOP.
Rasmussen Reports' latest numbers suggest why the shutdown is continuing: 82% of Democrats want to end the shutdown by continuing spending for the new health care law at current levels, but 71% of GOP voters would rather keep the shutdown going until the law is defunded.
Just 41% think the U.S. economy now is even somewhat fair.
The Rasmussen Consumer Index which measures daily confidence is at its lowest levels in a year.
At the same time, however, short- and long-term confidence in the housing market has risen to its highest levels in several years.
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http://www.rasmussenreports.com/publ...or_wrong_track

DATE	RIGHT DIRECTION	WRONG TRACK
Oct 7-13	13%	80%
Sep 30-Oct 6	17%	76%
Sep 23-29	28%	63%
Sep 16-22	28%	65%
Sep 9-15	30%	61%
Sep 2-8	30%	61%
Aug 26-Sep 1	30%	62%
Aug 19-25	29%	64%
Aug 12-18	29%	63%
Aug 5-11	29%	64%
Jul 9 - Aug 4	27%	65%
Jul 22-28	26%	65%
Jul 15-21	26%	65%
Jul 8-14	30%	62%
Jul 1-7	27%	64%
Jun 24-30	30%	63%
Jun 17-23	30%	62%
Jun 10-16	29%	63%
Jun 3-9	31%	62%
May 27-Jun 8	32%	59%
May 20-26	30%	61%
May 13-19	30%	62%
May 6-11	30%	62%
Apr 29-May 5	31%	61%
Apr 22-28	30%	62%
Apr 15-21	30%	62%
Apr 8-14	31%	60%
Apr 1-7	34%	59%
Mar 25-31	35%	57%
Mar 18-24	33%	59%
Mar 11-17	31%	60%
MAR 4-10	29%	64%
FEB 25-MAR 3	28%	64%
FEB 18-24	34%	58%
FEB 11-17	38%	54%
FEB 4-10	38%	55%
JAN 28-FEB 3	39%	53%
JAN 21-27	39%	54%
JAN 14-20	35%	57%
JAN 7-13	36%	57%
JAN 2-6	33%	58%
DEC 26-30	33%	59%
DEC 17-22	35%	55%
DEC 10-16	37%	55%
DEC 3-9	38%	52%
NOV 26-DEC 2	41%	52%
NOV 19-21 & 25	41%	51%
NOV 12-18	41%	52%
NOV 5-11	42%	51%
OCT 29-NOV 4	43%	54%
OCT 22-28	39%	57%
OCT 15-21	37%	57%
OCT 8-14	37%	58%
OCT 1-7	38%	57%
SEP 24-30	37%	55%
SEP 17-23	36%	58%
SEP 10-16	35%	58%
SEP 3-9	37%	57%
AUG 27-SEP 2	31%	62%
AUG 20-26	28%	63%
AUG 13-19	29%	63%
AUG 6-12	29%	63%
JUL 30-AUG 5	27%	66%
JUL 23-29	29%	64%
JUL 16-22	30%	62%
JUL 9-15	28%	65%
JUL 2-8	32%	62%
JUN 25-JUL 1	30%	63%
JUN 18-24	27%	65%
JUN 11-17	30%	64%
JUN 4-10	29%	64%
MAY 28-JUN 3	31%	61%
MAY 21-27	31%	62%
MAY 14-20	30%	63%
MAY 7-12	28%	65%
APR 30-MAY 6	31%	63%
APR 23-29	31%	62%
APR 16-22	29%	63%
APR 9-15	27%	65%
APR 2-8	29%	64%
MAR 26-APR 1	29%	64%
MAR 19-25	29%	64%
MAR 12-18	31%	61%
MAR 5-11	32%	63%
FEB 27-MAR 4	30%	65%
FEB 20-26	32%	61%
FEB 13-19	31%	61%
FEB 6-12	34%	59%
JAN 30-FEB 5	29%	63%
JAN 23-29	29%	64%
JAN 16-22	26%	67%
JAN 9-15	24%	68%
JAN 2-8, 2012	24%	69%
DEC 26-30	22%	71%
DEC 19-22	20%	72%
DEC 12-18	22%	71%
DEC 5-11	19%	73%
NOV 28-DEC 4	17%	75%
NOV 21-22 & 27	16%	76%
NOV 14-20	17%	75%
NOV 7-13	18%	75%
OCT 31-Nov 6	17%	76%
OCT 24-30	17%	76%
OCT 17-23	16%	77%
OCT 10-16	15%	78%
OCT 3-9	16%	77%
SEP 26-OCT 2	18%	75%
SEP 19-25	17%	75%
SEP 12-18	19%	75%
SEP 5-11	17%	75%
AUG 29-SEP 4	18%	76%
AUG 22-28	16%	76%
AUG 15-21	14%	79%
AUG 8-14	15%	80%
AUG 1-7	16%	77%
JUL 25-31	14%	80%
JUL 18-24	17%	75%
JUL 11-17	21%	71%
JUL 4-JUL 10	25%	68%
JUN 27-JUL 2	25%	68%
JUN 20-26	24%	68%
JUN 13-19	26%	65%
JUN 6-12	27%	65%
MAY 30-June 5	28%	64%
MAY 23-29	26%	66%
MAY 16-22	29%	63%
MAY 9-15	29%	64%
MAY 2-7	29%	64%
APR 25-MAY 1	25%	67%
APR 18-24	21%	71%
APR 11-17	22%	70%
APR 4-10	23%	69%
MAR 27-APR 3	24%	72%
MAR 21-27	25%	68%
MAR 14-20	23%	71%
MAR 7-13	22%	72%
FEB 28-MAR 6	27%	68%
FEB 21-27	27%	66%
FEB 14-20	26%	68%
FEB 7-13	31%	64%
JAN 31-FEB 6	30%	64%
JAN 24-30	32%	63%
JAN 17-23	29%	62%
JAN 10-16	27%	66%
JAN 3-9, 2011	26%	68%
DEC 27-30 & JAN 2, 2011	27%	67%
DEC 20-26	31%	64%
DEC 13-19	23%	71%
DEC 6-12	23%	71%
NOV 29-DEC 5	26%	70%
NOV 22, 23 & 28	29%	67%
NOV 15-21	28%	66%
NOV 8-14	26%	67%
NOV 1-7	28%	67%
OCT 25-31	31%	65%
OCT 18-24	32%	64%
OCT 11-17	30%	64%
OCT 4-10	32%	64%
SEP 27-OCT 3	32%	61%
SEP 20-26	31%	63%
SEP 13-19	29%	66%
SEP 6-12	30%	65%
AUG 30-SEP 5	29%	66%
AUG 23-29	29%	64%
AUG 16-22	29%	66%
AUG 9-15	28%	67%
AUG 2-8	30%	65%
JUL 26-AUG 1	30%	66%
JUL 19-25	28%	67%
JUL 12-18	27%	67%
JUL 5-11	31%	64%
JUN 21-27	28%	66%
JUN 14-20	28%	67%
JUN 7-13	30%	66%
MAY 31 - JUN 6	28%	67%
MAY 24-30	30%	65%
MAY 17-23	28%	67%
MAY 10-16	31%	64%
MAY 3-8	30%	64%
APR 26-MAY 2	33%	61%
APR 19-25	33%	62%
APR 12-18	33%	61%
APR 5-11	34%	62%
MAR 29-APR 4	35%	61%
MAR 22-28	35%	60%
MAR 15-21	26%	68%
MAR 8-14	27%	68%
MAR 1-7	25%	71%
FEB 22-28	25%	69%
FEB 15-21	29%	65%
FEB 8-14	28%	65%
FEB 1-7	30%	65%
JAN 25-31	31%	62%
JAN 18-24	29%	65%
JAN 11-17	30%	66%
JAN 4-10	32%	62%
DEC 28-30 & JAN 3, 2010	32%	62%
For earlier history, click here.

http://www.rasmussenreports.com/publ...or_wrong_track