Even Republican Supporters... 75% of Americans Say "The U.S. Is Heading in the Wrong Direction"

AP-NORC Poll
Up 13 Percentage Points From 62% in June Survey

A recent poll has found that a growing number of Americans believe the United States is heading in the wrong direction.

On September 19 (local time), the Associated Press released the results of a public opinion poll reflecting these findings. According to the survey, conducted by the Associated Press and the University of Chicago's National Opinion Research Center (NORC) between September 11 and 15 among 1,183 American adults, 75% responded that the United States is "heading in the wrong direction" when asked about the country's trajectory. This marks a 13 percentage point increase from the 62% who gave the same response in the previous survey conducted in June, three months earlier. Only 24% said the United States is moving in the right direction, a 13 percentage point drop from the 37% recorded in June.

The shift among Republican supporters is particularly notable. In the June poll, only 29% of Republicans said the United States was heading in the wrong direction, but this figure jumped to 51% in the latest survey. Among Republican supporters, the proportion who said the country was on the right track fell below half to 49%, compared to 70% in June.

92% of Democratic Supporters Say "The U.S. Is Heading in the Wrong Direction"

There were also differences in responses among Republican supporters based on age and gender. Among Republicans under 45, 61% said the United States was heading in the wrong direction, compared to 43% among those 45 and older. Among Republican women, 60% believed the country was on the wrong path, higher than the 43% of men who shared this view.

Among Democratic supporters, 92% said the United States was heading in the wrong direction, a figure that remained largely unchanged from the June survey.

The Associated Press analyzed the results by stating, "The reason for the worsening outlook among Republican supporters is the continued concern over political violence and social discord." Additional factors cited for the negative outlook included the attempted assassination of right-wing activist Charlie Kirk, as well as worries about jobs, household finances, and crime.