After Americans' satisfaction dipped to near-historical lows in June and July, it has now returned to where it was in April.
A Sept. 1-16 Gallup poll asked respondents: "In general, are you satisfied or dissatisfied with the way things are going in the United States at this time?"
According to the results, 21% of U.S. adults currently say they are satisfied -- up from 17% in August and from a near-historic low of 13% in both June and July.
The recent improvement in satisfaction has occurred among both Democrats and independents, with no meaningful change among Republicans.
"Even with the recent brightening of Americans' national outlook, satisfaction has averaged 18% so far this year, putting it on pace to rank among the lowest yearly averages along with 1979 (19%), 2008 (15%) and 2011 (17%)," the poll stated.
The historical average satisfaction rating since Gallup first asked the question in 1979 is 36% -- although it has averaged significantly less than that, 25%, since 2006.
On the other hand, 79% of Americans are dissatisfied with the way things are going.
Respondents identified three things as the biggest problems currently affecting the country: the government/poor leadership, high cost of living/inflation, and the economy in general.
"Currently, 22% of Americans name the government as the most important problem, while 17% say inflation is," the poll noted. "Twelve percent mention the economy in general terms, the only other issue to be cited by at least 10% of Americans in response to the open-ended question."
Other top issues named as important problems include immigration (6%), race relations/racism (5%), unifying the country (4%), abortion(4%), elections/election reform/democracy (4%), poverty/hunger/homelessness (4%), and crime/violence (4%).
Only 3% of Americans mentioned high gas prices as being a problem, down from 5% over the summer. The poll suggests that many Americans may see higher gas prices as part of inflation more broadly, rather than as a separate issue.
The government is the most commonly named issue among Republicans (28%) and Democrats (23%), while it ties with inflation as the top issue among independents, according to the poll.
"In recent years, Americans have become more likely to cite the government as the most important U.S. problem," the poll notes. "To a large degree, people may see the government's inability to successfully deal with matters such as inflation, high gas prices, COVID-19 or the major issue of the day as the problem, rather than those issues specifically."
In contrast to the situation today, a poll in June 2008 showed just 6% of Americans naming the government as the most important problem, while 25% said gas prices, and 36% said the economy. That same poll showed 14% of Americans as being satisfied.
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