We have never before seen this level of sustained pessimism in the 30-year-plus history of the poll.
- Including during the 1992 recession, when a year of NBC/WSJ polls had the wrong track between 67% and 71% before improving right after the presidential election.
- Or the Great Recession of 2008, when Barack Obama’s election and inauguration ended a year of NBC/WSJ polls of the wrong track being near or above 70%.
What’s more, when our poll asked respondents how they feel about where America is headed over the next year, 69% gave negative words and phrases, versus 23% who had positive ones.
