Large majorities of Americans describe themselves as uneasy, worried or frustrated about the country — and the percent who see the economy as bad have hit new highs, a new CBS News poll showed Sunday.
In the poll data collected by YouGov, 63% each described the state of the nation as “uneasy” while 61% called it frustrating.
In a breakdown, the survey found:
69% said the economy is bad — up from 46% in April 2021.
74% said things in American are going badly — a judgment at its highest rate in an otherwise roller-coaster assessment: 63% thought things were going badly in April 2021, but fell to 58% the following July, then jumped to 73% in January and sunk to 66% in April.
77% were pessimistic about the cost of goods and services.
68% were pessimistic about the national economy.
67% were pessimistic about the stock market.
57% were pessimistic about their retirement plans.
53% were optimistic about the coronavirus.
52% were optimistic about jobs.
Survey participants also panned President Joe Biden for his response to important issues: 65% called it slow, and 55% said he doesn’t fight hard to address the country’s problems.
Given the general low marks, Biden’s approval rating is also in the tank, at 44%, up from a rock-bottom 42% in April, but far off his 62% approval in March 2021, the survey showed.
The poll’s margin of error was plus or minus 2.5 percentage points.