Gallup: Nearly two-thirds of Republicans are satisfied with the direction of the country

Show Caption Hide Caption Poll: Over 60% of Republicans satisfied with the nation's direction A new Gallup polls finds that 61% of Republicans are satisfied with the direction the country is going. Veuer's Chandra Lanier has the story.

WASHINGTON — Further proof of the great political divide in America:

Six in 10 Republicans (61%) say they are satisfied with the way things are going in the country — the highest level of satisfaction recorded among the GOP rank and file since 2007, according to a new Gallup Poll.

Democrats? Not so thrilled.

Just 7% of Democrats told pollsters they are satisfied with the direction of the country, a new low in the Donald Trump era. Previously, the level of dissatisfaction among Democrats had ranged from 9% to 16% since the president was inaugurated nearly a year ago.

Nationally, the numbers aren’t so good either. Just 29% of Americans are satisfied with the direction of the country. Since Trump became president, those figures have ranged from 21% to 32%. Nearly seven in 10 Americans (69%) are dissatisfied.

The surge in enthusiasm among Republicans comes on the heels of GOP leaders successfully shoving a tax-reform package through Congress just before Christmas. The bill’s passage is seen as a victory for Trump and congressional Republicans.

The higher numbers also represent a major turnaround for a party that saw its satisfaction levels plummet after a number of legislative setbacks and challenges to Trump in his first year. Satisfaction among Republicans bottomed out at 38 % in October, but started to rebound in the final quarter of the year, Gallup said.

Independent voters also are a more contented bunch. Last October, just 20 % said they were satisfied with the direction of the country, a low during the Trump presidency. In the new poll, 31 % of independents were satisfied with the way things were going.

The poll was based on telephone interviews conducted Jan. 2-7. Pollsters surveyed a random sample of 1,204 adults. The margin of error was plus or minus 4 percentage points.

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