Gallup: 55 Percent of U.S. Adults Say Country’s Best Days Are Ahead

A Gallup poll conducted in June reveals 55 percent of American adults believe the best days for the country are “ahead of us.”

Those who said the best days are “behind us” came in at 41 percent.

The last time Gallup asked this question — December 2012, when President Barack Obama was president — only 47 percent of respondents answered “ahead.” That survey’s results also showed 50 percent of respondents answered “behind.”

The pollster says that Americans are inspired by President Donald Trump’s success in improving the U.S. economy, including the job market.

“The latest data, collected in a June 18-24 Gallup poll, come as satisfaction with the direction of the U.S. has reached a 12-year high, with 38% of Americans saying they are satisfied with the way things are going in the country,” Gallup reports on its poll.

“U.S. adults are also noticing the effects of a robust job market, with about two in three saying it is a good time to find a quality job,” the data firm continues. “By comparison, 23% were satisfied with the direction of the country in December 2012, and 19% said it was a good time to find a job.”

Gallup notes the usual break along party lines when it comes to optimism about America’s future, with about seven in ten Republicans (69%) and 54% of independents responding that the best days for the U.S. are ahead.

“Democrats, however, are split, with roughly equal percentages saying the best days are in the past and in the future,” the report says.

Gallup also notes that self-identified independents — who helped elect Trump in 2016 — represent the biggest shift in the numbers.

“As for independents, a small majority (54%) now say the best days are in the future, but in 2012, the opposite was true — a similarly sized majority (55%) said the best days were in the past,” the report states. “So, this group’s change in views is a big driver behind the change in the national figure.”

The “bottom line,” according to Gallup, is that most Americans believe the best is yet to come.

The poll is based on a random sample of 1,505 telephone interviews of adults 18 or older in 50 U.S. states and the District of Columbia, with a margin of error of plus or minus 3 percentage points and a 95 percent confidence level.

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