Public satisfaction regarding the country’s direction has dipped to a new low during President Trump’s second term. According to recent Gallup polling, while views have become less favorable, they are still more optimistic compared to when he first took office.
Only 29% of those surveyed expressed satisfaction with the current trajectory of the U.S., while 67% said they were dissatisfied, and another 67% opted not to share an opinion. This survey took place in early September.
This marks a slight decline from August, which recorded a satisfaction rate of 31%, and from July’s 33% and June’s 31% figures.
The peak satisfaction during Trump’s second term occurred in May, when 38% of respondents reported feeling satisfied. Earlier, there had been similar levels of approval in April at 34%, March at 37%, and February at 34%—the first months of his second term.
Nonetheless, Americans are generally more content with the direction of the U.S. now compared to before Trump was in office, according to the poll.
In January, just prior to Trump’s second term, only 20% of respondents were satisfied with the nation’s direction.
Satisfaction had last crossed the 30% mark in July 2021, several months after former President Biden took office. Biden also experienced satisfaction levels in the mid-30s during his early presidency, although these figures never returned to those heights.
The recent decline in satisfaction was primarily driven by Republican respondents, where satisfaction dropped from 76% in August to 68% in September.
Independent respondents reported stable satisfaction at 23%, while Democrats remained steady at a mere 1%.
The survey period coincided with the tragic shooting of Charlie Kirk.
Further, when asked about pressing issues facing the country, mentions of crime and violence more than doubled, rising from 3% in August to 8% in September. This is the highest level noted since August 2020, and previously, the rates had not been this high since 2002.
Gallup highlighted that the uptick in mentions of crime was particularly pronounced following Kirk’s assassination on September 10th.
The survey, which included 1,000 respondents, was conducted between September 2 and 16, with a margin of error of 4 percentage points.
