Americans Deeply Dissatisfied With Nation's Governance ... only 18% of independents and Democrats [satisfied]

September 21, 2007 | by Frank Newport | GALLUP NEWS SERVICE | Americans Deeply Dissatisfied With Nation's Governance | Democrats [and Independents.ed.] much more negative than Republicans
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Sixty-seven percent of Americans are dissatisfied with the way the nation is being governed today, while only 31% are satisfied. This marks the most negative assessment of governance in response to this question since Gallup's September 1973 poll, conducted in the midst of the ongoing Watergate scandal then engulfing the Nixon administration. (At that time, 26% were satisfied and 66% were dissatisfied.)

There is a deep divide in the response to this governance question by partisanship. While more than 6 out of 10 Republicans say they are satisfied with the way the nation is being governed, only 18% of independents and Democrats agree.

While this partisan rift has been evident in each poll conducted since 2001, it has become more exaggerated in recent years. For example, there was a gap of 29 percentage points between the satisfaction level of Republicans and Democrats in September 2001, compared to the 45-point gap today.