A huge percentage of Americans are unhappy with the direction the country is heading, according to a new Quinnipiac University poll. Seventy-one percent of voters told pollsters they are "dissatisfied" with the way things are going. That includes 41 percent who are "very dissatisfied."
Only 2 percent of respondents said they were "very satisfied," while 26 percent are "somewhat satisfied."
When asked their thoughts on the federal government, 27 percent said they are "angry," compared to the 49 percent who said they are "dissatisfied, but not angry." Just 2 percent said they are "enthusiastic" about the federal government, and 21 percent said they are "satisfied but not enthusiastic."
The vast majority of voters don't have much faith in the government, with only 2 percent saying they trust the government "almost all the time." Thirteen percent said they trust the government "most of the time," while 51 percent said they trust the government "some of the time," and 34 percent "hardly ever" trust the government.
Lawmakers didn't fare too well, either. Congressional Republicans only received a 12 percent job approval rating, with 81 percent saying they disapprove. Democrats did slightly better, with 27 percent approval and 66 percent disapproval. As for the parties themselves, the Republican Party drew 31 percent approval and 58 percent disapproval, and the Democratic Party saw a 40 percent to 50 percent approval/disapproval split.
Americans' discontent with both the federal government and the general direction of the country likely explains why a number of anti-establishment presidential candidates are performing so well in the polls. Republicans Donald Trump and Ben Carson, both with no prior traditional political experience, are leading the GOP pack, while Democratic contender Sen. Bernie Sanders, who is calling for a political revolution, continues to quickly gain on front-runner Hillary Clinton.
Still, even with the dissatisfaction, Americans are divided on which party they would prefer to have control over the House and Senate. Respondents were split 44 percent to 44 percent on whether Republicans or Democrats should control the Senate, while 46 percent said Democrats should be in charge of the House and 44 percent want Republicans.
The pollsters also asked opinions on a few hotly debated issues such as abortion and federal spending.
Seventy-eight percent said abortion should be legal in cases of rape or incest, while 85 percent said it should be legal to save the life of a mother. Twenty-three percent said abortion should be legal in all cases, while 33 percent said it should be legal in most cases. That's compared to the 26 percent who said it should be illegal in most cases and 14 percent who said it should always be illegal.
On federal spending, 61 percent said they support "major new spending by the federal government" to help students pay for college tuition, while 34 percent were opposed.
The telephone poll was conducted Aug. 20-25 among 1,500 registered voters and has a margin of error of plus or minus 2.5 percentage points.
