A consensus of 77 percent of Americans says the nation’s society and culture are decaying, and only 10 percent believe the nation is improving, according to a new poll by the Trafalgar Group.
The views of Democrats were similar to the overall population. Sixty-one percent of Democrats say the nation is in a “state of decay.”
Only 15 percent of Democrats said the country is progressing — even though the White House, the House, and the Senate are all dominated by older Democrats.
Republicans are more pessimistic. Only four percent see progress while 86 percent see decay.
Only 11 percent of swing-voting independents see progress, while 82 percent see decay.
The overall results are broadly similar among age groups. Eighty-two percent of the youngest group, aged 18 to 24, reported decline, slightly above the 80 percent rating reported by Americans aged 65 and over.
The most optimistic group are people aged 25 to 34 — but 70 percent of them see a nation in decline.
The most optimistic subgroup were Asians, where 25 percent see progress. Asians are the fast-growing block of legal immigrants.
Trafalgar is a new firm, yet its polling numbers have closely matched election results.
The poll of 1,076 people was conducted December 17-21 for the Convention of States Action advocacy group