Republicans’ satisfaction with life in US rises while Dem satisfaction drops

Republicans have grown more satisfied with life in the United States in the past year, while Democrats have been more dissatisfied in the same time period, a poll released Thursday showed.

The Gallup poll found that while most Americans are satisfied with their overall quality of life, feelings have shifted along party lines. Among Republicans, 90 percent are happy with their quality of life, an increase of 16 points from last year. By comparison, 76 percent of Democrats are satisfied with their quality of life, a 9-point drop. 

The partisan divergence appeared in three other categories that measure satisfaction with life in the U.S., the poll found. 

Democratic satisfaction with the country’s moral and ethical climate dropped by 14 points, while Republican satisfaction with the same measure rose by 9 points, according to the poll. 

Democrats also grew more dissatisfied with the way income is distributed in the U.S. and the opportunity to get ahead by working hard. Republicans grew more satisfied in the last year with both measures, the poll showed.

Despite the significant partisan shifts, the overall levels of satisfaction among Americans didn’t shift by more than 3 points in any of the four categories.

The poll was conducted Jan. 2-7 and has a margin of error of 4 percentage points.

The poll was released days after the anniversary of President Trump’s inauguration. While Republicans hailed his first year in office as a success, millions of people — mostly women — took to the streets last weekend to protest his policies.

Trump has faced low approval ratings throughout his first year in office.