Americans end 2024 feeling pessimistic about the U.S.

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Just 19% of Americans believe the country is heading in the right direction as 2024 comes to a close, per Gallup’s latest monthly survey.

Gallup’s monthly data reveals a deep-seated pessimism among Americans about their country.

You’d have to go back two decades to find a time when half of Americans felt the U.S. was on the right track.

The last time even 30% of Americans felt the U.S. was heading in the right direction was summer 2021.

December’s finding was down from 26% in October, largely because satisfaction among Democrats has fallen from 47% to 30% since the election.

Only 9% of Republicans think the country is on the right track. That number jumped from 5% in October to 16% in November before sliding back down.

19% is the lowest result since July. The 2024 peak was 26% in October.

President Biden’s approval rose to 39% from 37% in November.

Gallup’s highest-ever finding (71%) came in Feb. 1999, while the lowest (7%) came in Oct. 2008, during the financial crisis.

The pessimism about the direction of the country comes despite a fairly positive economic trajectory.

The percentage of Americans who view the economy as the main problem with the U.S. has fallen steadily in recent months, per Gallup.

Democrats tend to cite President-elect Trump as a top concern, Republicans are more worried about immigration, and respondents from both parties still have concerns about inflation.

Americans are split over the state of the American dream