Tracking Public Opinion on the State of U.S. Affairs
Morning Consult surveys more than 3,000 U.S. adults daily on their views regarding the current state and trajectory of the country, providing an unparalleled gauge of public sentiment.
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Key Takeaways
With the federal government shut down since Oct. 1, Americans' optimism about the country's trajectory remains higher than it was during most of Joe Biden's presidency, but relatively low in the context of President Donald Trump's second term in office. Just 39% of U.S. adults say the country is headed in the right direction, down from 51% in early June — the current high for optimism since Trump's inauguration.
Partisanship, as always, remains the key dividing line in views on America's trajectory. However, the share of Republicans who see the country on the right track has waned slightly in recent months, from an average of 77% in June to an average of 71% in September.
Independents' optimism has declined similarly over that time frame. An average of 28% independents see the country headed in the right direction this month, down from 32% in June.
Meanwhile, just 17% of Democrats on average say the country is headed in the right direction this month.
- A sizable gender gap in optimism about the country is a key feature of the second Trump presidency: 48% of men now see the country is headed in the right direction, compared with only 32% of women.
A wealth gap in optimism is another key trend we've observed in 2025, with views on the country's trajectory diverging among Americans from higher- and lower-earning households. Since Trump took office in January, respondents from households with a minimum annual income of $100,000 have been 17 percentage points more likely, on average, than those from households earning less than $50,000 to say the country is headed in the right direction. By comparison, that average wealth gap in optimism was just 9 points during Biden's presidency.
Data Downloads
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Perceptions of the State of Affairs in America: A Demographic Breakdown
Source of This Data
Methodology
Every day, Morning Consult surveys a representative sample of roughly 5,000 U.S. adults on average and asks the question, “Now, generally speaking, would you say that things in the country are going in the right direction, or have they pretty seriously gotten off on the wrong track?” Results are weighted to account for a range of demographic characteristics including age, gender, race/ethnicity, educational attainment and region and have a margin of error of up to +/-4 percentage points.
Reporting dates reflect surveys conducted the prior day. (For example, data points labeled "Jan 20 2025" reflect responses gathered Jan. 19, 2025.
About Morning Consult
Morning Consult is a global decision intelligence company changing how modern leaders make smarter, faster, better decisions. The company pairs its proprietary high-frequency data with applied artificial intelligence to better inform decisions on what people think and how they will act. Learn more at morningconsult.com.
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Cameron Easley is Morning Consult’s head of political and economic analysis. He has led Morning Consult's coverage of politics and elections since 2016, and his work has appeared in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, Politico, Axios, FiveThirtyEight and on Fox News, CNN and MSNBC. Cameron joined Morning Consult from Roll Call, where he was managing editor. He graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Follow him on Twitter @cameron_easley. Interested in connecting with Cameron to discuss his analysis or for a media engagement or speaking opportunity? Email [email protected].
