POLL: Nearly Half Feel America on the 'Wrong Track'

A December poll finds that nearly half of the respondents feel America is on the “wrong track,” and that the coronavirus is the nation’s biggest problem. They also don’t want President Trump to be investigated after he leaves office, and believe climate change is not a priority upon which Joe Biden should focus.

The December Suffolk University/USA Today poll asked 1,000 Americans from across the country their feelings on the current status of the country, including their assessment of the Trump presidency, the prospects facing President-elect Joe Biden, the economy, and the troubles the country faces for 2021.

At the outset, the survey quizzed respondents about the state of the country and asked, “Do you feel the country is headed in the right direction or is on the wrong track.”

The result was dour.

Forty-nine percent of the respondents said they feel the country is on the “wrong track,” while only 34 percent said the nation is headed in the “right direction.” Sixteen percent said they were undecided.

Respondents were also asked how they feel about President Donald Trump. In a survey where almost 50 percent voted for Biden and 44 percent voted for Trump, the results were generally not salutary for the president.

For instance, 51 percent said that they disapprove of the job Trump has done, while 44 percent said they approve of his work. In addition, 50 percent said that Trump would be labeled a “failed president.” Sixteen percent said Trump is a great president, 13 percent said he is a good president, and 16 percent said he is a fair president.

An overwhelming 55 percent also said that they would not support a second Trump run for the White House. Only 29 percent said they would vote for him again, and 12 percent said they might vote for him. They also felt that Trump could not win the GOP nomination again, 55 percent to 31 percent.

Most also oppose the idea of the president using his powers to pardon himself and his family ahead of leaving office. Sixty-one percent said it would be “an abuse of the president’s pardon power” to use it to pardon himself and his family.

However, if Democrats think this is the nod to persecute Trump after he leaves office, the poll also shoots that idea down. Only two percent said that Biden should launch investigations into Donald Trump after Trump leaves office.

Climate change was also low on the priority scale. Only six percent said that Joe Biden should focus on climate change once he takes office. The top priority was the coronavirus crisis (44 percent), followed by creating and preserving jobs (25 percent).

Other findings include 65 percent who think Trump should attend Biden’s inauguration. Trump’s biggest successes are economic policy (36 percent) and foreign policy (13 percent), and that 30 percent feel the nation is in an economic recession.

Finally, as to the coronavirus vaccine, majorities oppose making the vaccine mandatory. Sixty percent said employers should not make the vaccine mandatory as a condition for employment (33 percent said employers should require it). Fifty-two percent oppose schools mandating the vaccine for students, while 40 percent said they should.

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