87 percent of those polled expressed unhappiness with the direction of Washington. Poll: Anger at government soars

As the government shutdown continues in Washington, Americans are angrier with how things are going than they have been in years, according to a new poll.

Overall, 87 percent expressed unhappiness with the direction of Washington, with 44 percent saying they were “dissatisfied” and 43 percent saying they were “angry” in a new CBS News poll out Thursday night. Only 8 percent said they were “satisfied” and 2 percent said they were “enthusiastic”.


The 43 percent anger mark is higher than any other time in CBS’s polling on the issue since 2010. In March, anger was only at 30 percent.

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Americans are also similarly pessimistic about the shutdown’s effects on the nation. Sixty-two percent said the government cannot effectively operate during the shutdown, and 75 percent believe it is at least somewhat likely that the stock market and economy will suffer a sharp downturn thanks to it — 34 percent say very likely.

Almost half the country believes it will be personally affected by the shutdown, 47 percent who do to 50 percent who don’t.

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CBS polled 1,021 adults from Oct. 1 to Oct. 2 for the poll, which has an error margin of plus or minus 3 percentage points.