“Twenty-two percent of Americans are satisfied and 76% are dissatisfied with the way things are going in the U.S. at this time. Americans’ satisfaction has been quite stable this year, ranging narrowly between 22% and 25%. The last time a majority of Americans were satisfied with the direction of the country was more than a decade ago, a 55% reading in January 2004. Further, satisfaction has not topped 40% since July 2005, amid a struggling economy, wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and declining confidence in government. This period also saw satisfaction sink to an all-time low of 7% in October 2008, shortly after the financial crisis hit. While satisfaction is higher today than back then, it has only exceeded 30% for two brief stretches since 2008 — from May through August 2009 shortly after President Barack Obama took office, and in November 2012 when he was re-elected to a second term. Historically, Gallup has found partisan differences in satisfaction ratings, usually tied to the party of the president. Consistent with this pattern, currently 37% of Democrats are satisfied, compared with 19% of independents and 10% of Republicans.”