Gloomy Voters say Country on Wrong Track, Kids Will Be Poorer

A mood of economic gloom hangs over the nation as President Obama and Republican leaders scrambled to strike a deficit deal that avoids automatic tax hikes and spending cuts, according to a new poll for The Hill.

• The poll, conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, found nearly 6-in-10 people (59 percent) feel the country is on the wrong track.
• It also showed people are deeply pessimistic about their chances for future prosperity, with 54 percent saying they believe their children will be worse off as adults than their parents.
• Only 34 percent of people feel they will be better off at the end of Obama's second term than they are right now.
• And just 16 percent believe a better economic future awaits their children when they grow up.

The dour sentiment is particularly striking among Republicans.

• Among voters who identified themselves as Republicans, 87 percent said the country is on the wrong track and a mere 8 percent said it is on the right track.
• Seven-in-10 Republicans believe they will be worse off at the end of Obama's presidency, and 80 percent said their children's future is bleaker than their own.
• Only 4 percent of Republicans think their children will be better off.

By contrast, Democrats are in a somewhat sunnier -- though not overwhelmingly upbeat -- post-election mood.

• Fifty-four percent of Democrats said they think the country is on the right track compared to 31 percent who said it is on the wrong track.
• Six-in-10 Democrats, meanwhile, believe they'll be better off in four years.
• But even Democrats are worried about the country's long-term future -- only 30 percent said their children face a brighter future and 30 percent said they will be worse off.

Source: Sheldon Alberts, "Hill Poll: Gloomy Voters say U.S. on Wrong Track, Kids Will Be Poorer," The Hill, December 17, 2012.

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