US Satisfaction Rate: Two-Third Of Americans Unsatisfied With Direction of Country (Report)

Americans are largely dissatisfied with the state of the country, a report by Gallup revealed. According to the results, only 30 percent of Americans are satisfied with the way things are going in the country-a rate identical to the one recorded in September.

Gallup stated that the updated rate is lower than the its historical average of 37 percent, but much higher than the 13 percent recorded in October 2008 before President Barack Obama won the presidency.

The report noted that the 30 percent satisfaction rate places Obama "in a gray zone where it is unclear whether satisfaction has reached the threshold necessary for voters to give him a second term."

The satisfaction rate is higher than the satisfaction rate before the 1980 (19 percent) and 1992 (22 percent) elections when Jimmy Carter and George H.W. Bush sought re-election and lost, Gallup said. Conversely, the 30 percent satisfied rate is lower than the 1984 (48 percent), 1996 (39 percent) and 2004 (44 percent) elections when Ronald Reagan, Bill Clinton and George W. Bush sought re-election and won.

President Obama's job approval rating has fluctuated in the past couple of weeks but has remained around the 50 percent mark, according to Gallup's Daily tracking reports. Gallup also reported that the U.S. Economic Confidence Index is at -21, a rate lower than the +3 in October 2004 and +23 in October 1996 before incumbents won their re-elections. However, it is much higher than the -37 in August 1992 before George H.W. Bush lost his re-election.

According to Gallup, Americans who share the sitting president's political party are more likely to be satisfied with the way things are going with the country than those who do not share the president's political party. Fifty-three percent of Democrats say they are satisfied, the report stated, compared to 29 percent of independents and seven percent of Republicans.

Voter demographics for each political party also reflect the differences in satisfaction. Twenty-two percent of whites report being satisfied compared to 51 percent of non-whites. Similarly, 18- to 29-year-olds and low income Americans tend to report being more satisfied than older and high income Americans, Gallup stated.

The fact that over two-thirds of Americans are dissatisfied with the direction of the country does not bode well for a president seeking re-election, Gallup stated. However, it is important to note that the 30 percent satisfaction rate is not much lower than the average 37 percent satisfaction rate recorded since 1979.

It is unclear how the satisfaction rate will affect the election race based on past satisfaction rates recorded on re-election years.