US Satisfaction Index Leaps — Gallup

The latest Gallup survey of how satisfied Americans are “with the way things are going in the United States at this time” indicates that satisfaction has jumped since the July survey to a level approaching a recent August 2009 high. Fully 30% of Americans said they are satisfied in September, compared with last month’s reading of 23%. In January, only 18% of those surveyed were satisfied.

Gallup notes the political implications of this survey:

The improved satisfaction in September may be explained partly by the effects of the recent Democratic National Convention, which produced a bounce in support for Obama and a rise in Americans’ economic confidence. As a result, Obama currently leads Mitt Romney by 50% to 43% among registered voters. … [F]urther improvement in Americans’ satisfaction during the final two months of the 2012 campaign — to get closer to the levels seen in 1984, 1996, and 2004 — would enhance Obama’s chances of re-election.

All told, the percentage of Americans who are dissatisfied came in a 68%, with the number of those who are “very dissatisfied” at 41%. Bad, but not as bad as the 56% who said they were “very dissatisfied” one year ago.

Paul Ausick