Vast majority in new poll dissatisfied with direction of nation

A large majority of Americans are dissatisfied with the direction of the nation, according to a new Gallup poll released on Tuesday.

Seventy-eight percent of respondents in the poll said they are dissatisfied with the direction the U.S. is moving in, while only 21 percent are those surveyed said they are satisfied. 

The results come ahead of President Biden’s State of the Union address on Tuesday night. 

The most prominent concern noted among survey takers was the economy at 30 percent, and economic concerns were cited along with inflation as the most worrying for respondents.

Among noneconomic concerns, poor government leadership was cited as a top concern, at 20 percent, with the coronavirus coming in second at 13 percent, according to the poll. 

The results for the coronavirus come as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention eased mask guidance for 70 percent of the country on Friday and cases as have dropped from their January high. 

The survey was conducted before Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, with only 2 percent labeling the situation with Russia as one of the reasons why they are dissatisfied with the direction of the country. 

The U.S. is not sending troops directly to fight in Ukraine but has imposed vast sanctions against Russia for its actions. 

The survey was conducted from Feb. 1 to Feb. 17 among 1,008 adults. The margin of error is plus or minus 4 percentage points.