Despite the shockingly high number of those who are “very dissatisfied” that number has actually dropped from a record-high of 66% from January of 2021 when Americans were left to grapple with the January 6 US Capitol riot as well as the deadly COVID-19 Pandemic.
For the past two decades, the most that Americans have ever been satisfied was in 2002, when 56% of Americans said they were “satisfied” with the way things were going in the US. Since then the percentage of people who are in the satisfied group has steadily declined until it hit 12% in 2011, climbed, and then hit its lowest of 11% in 2021. Satisfaction among Americans hit another low of 13% when inflation and gas prices skyrocketed.
The average satisfaction among Americans since Gallup first began conducting the survey in 1979 has been 36%.
The percentages vary among political parties, too. The poll found Democrats are “somewhat” (36%) dissatisfied with how things are going in the US compared to the 28% of Democrats who are “very” dissatisfied. Forty-six percent of Independents are “very” dissatisfied while 75% of Republicans are very dissatisfied.