Survey: Most Americans Say Life Is ‘Worse’ Today Than 50 Years Ago
Most Americans feel as though life for “people like them” is worse today than it was five decades ago, a recent Pew Research survey found.
The survey showed Americans with a negative view on how life is for people now. They were asked, “In general, would you say life in America today is better, worse, or about the same as it was 50 years ago for people like you?”
Over half, 58 percent, said they believe life is “worse” for people like them than it was 50 years ago. That reflects a 15-point increase from the 43 percent who said the same in July 2021.
Only 23 percent said they believe life is “better,” and 19 percent said it is “about the same.”
Shoppers in sewing and fabric store at the Columbia Mall, Columbia, Maryland, 1973. (Pinto/United States Information Agency/PhotoQuest/Getty)
Republicans and Republican leaners are more likely to say life is worse today for people like them than it was back in 1973, as 72 percent said life is “worse.” Just 14 percent said it is better.
A plurality of Democrats also believe it is “worse” today — 43 percent. That reflects a 13-point uptick from the 30 percent who said the same in July 2021.
According to Pew Research:
While both older adults and younger adults are much more likely to say that life today is worse for people like them than to say life is better, there is a sizable age gap on this question. Adults 50 and older are 46 points more likely to say that life is worse today for people like them than they are to say that life is better (65% vs. 19%). Adults ages 18 to 49, by comparison, are 24 points more likely to say life today is worse (51% vs. 27%).
Coinciding with that is the fact that Americans tend to have a pessimistic view of the future. Sixty-six percent believe the U.S. economy will be “weaker” in 2050, and 71 percent believe the U.S. will be “less important” in the world 27 years down the road.
Further, 81 percent believe that the wealth gap will “grow,” and 77 percent believe the country will be even more politically divided by 2050. According to Pew Research, “Republicans and Republican-leaning independents are somewhat more likely than Democrats and Democratic leaners to have pessimistic views” on the country’s future, although a majority on both sides have negative views.
The latest results, taken March 27 to April 2, 2023, come well over two years in to Biden’s presidency, which has been hallmarked by historically high inflation and high gas prices, which continuously broke records last year.
Patrons enjoy Lake Meadows Shopping Center on the South Side of Chicago, Illinois, June, 1973. Image courtesy National Archives. (Smith Collection/Gado/Getty Images).
The largest train shipment of new Chevrolet station wagons ever sent to Denver-1,000 of the 1973 models-has rolled in for distribution to 113 dealers in Chevy’s Denver Zone. Dealers say wagons, ideal for recreation and family use, account for 14.6 per cent of sales. (Denver Post via Getty)
The highest recorded average occurred last summer, as regular gasoline reached an average of $5.016 on June 14, 2022. Diesel broke an all-time record high days later, reaching $5.816 on June 19, 2022.
Additionally, a recent CBS News/YouGov poll found 97 percent of Americans viewing Biden’s economy as a top issue of concern.
Americans’ negative views on the state of the country and fond looks to the past also come as the radical left pushes social issues even further, attempting to normalize woke gender ideology and even push it on children — something the Biden administration wholly supports as well. This has prompted individual states to take action, passing legislation to protect children from these attempts to normalize gender dysphoria and transgenderism.
There has also been severe backlash for companies, such as Anheuser-Busch, for seemingly promoting this agenda as well.
WaPo Poll Delivers Crushing Blow to Biden’s Argument for Reelection
President Joe Biden’s team has insisted he’s fit for office, claimed he’s the only candidate who can beat former president Donald Trump, and pointed to his economic record as proof he deserves reelection. A new ABC News/Washington Post poll released Sunday shows the American public overwhelmingly disagrees.
Biden has a record-low 36 percent approval rating, the poll found. Sixty-eight percent of respondents said Biden is too old to run again.
"This poll is just brutal for President Biden," ABC's George Stephanopoulos said this weekend.
Trump faces less concern about his age, with 44 percent saying he's too old to run.
The respondents also ripped Biden for his handling of the economy. Fifty-four percent to 36 percent, Americans think Trump did a better job with the economy.
The early polling is not a good sign for the Biden campaign in a matchup with the former president, ABC News reported:
Looking (far) ahead to November 2024, in a Biden-Trump matchup, 44% of Americans say they'd definitely or probably vote for Trump, 38% for Biden, with 12% undecided. When the undecideds are asked how they lean, it's 49-42%, Trump-Biden.
The poll numbers come after the Post interviewed Democrats who said the president's frequent verbal slip-ups and physical stumbles have given them pause about whether he should run.
Biden faces the lowest support from within his own party for a second term among modern presidents. Just 38 percent of Democrats said the party should nominate Biden for reelection, compared with 57 percent who want to find another candidate, according to an average of polls conducted throughout his first term published by the Post last month.
Trump had 70 percent of his party’s support for a reelection bid.
Thanks, Biden: Average Price of New Car Hits $48K
The average price of a new car continues to soar under President Joe Biden, who voters think is handling the economy worse than his predecessor.
A new car now costs $48,008, up 30 percent from March 2020. Manufacturers are also selling fewer new cars than before the pandemic, with the more expensive models taking priority.
Record high car prices could be playing a part in Americans' dissatisfaction with Biden’s handling of the economy. A new ABC/Washington Post poll found the majority of voters, in a split of 54 percent to 36 percent, think former president Donald Trump did a better job with the economy.
The same poll reported Biden's lowest approval rating yet at 36 percent, 1 point down from a Gallup poll published in April.
In a weekend interview, the president blamed his poor approval numbers on the news media.
"All they've heard is negative news for three years," Biden said, adding that the only way to get a "hit" is to focus on negativity.
The Wall Street Journal’s April Economic Forecasting survey reported economists estimate a 61 percent of a recession within the next 12 months.
Biden Taps Economist Who Bemoaned Gas Prices 'Too Damn Low'
Jared Bernstein's comments could hurt his chances at Senate confirmation
High gas prices have been a nightmare for President Joe Biden. But they are a dream come true for a progressive economist whom the president tapped for a top White House post.
Jared Bernstein, Biden's nominee for chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers, lamented in 2015 that gas prices were "too damn low." Bernstein, who was writing at a time when gas cost $2.09 per gallon, asserted that "seriously under-priced" fuel costs had "scary" consequences for the environment because they stoked demand for fossil fuels. He suggested a gas tax hike, even as he acknowledged that low prices at the pump help working families.
Bernstein could soon have a prominent role in shaping Biden's economic policy at a time when many Americans list high energy costs as one of their top concerns. Just 36 percent of Americans give Biden a positive rating on the economy, according to recent polls. A major contributor is a dramatic increase in the price of gas, which increased from $2.42 per gallon when Biden took office to $3.61 last week.
The Senate Banking Committee will vote Thursday on Bernstein's nomination. If confirmed, Bernstein will oversee the three-member council, which is tasked with advising the president on "economic policies that advance the interests of the American people."
Sen. Tim Scott (R., S.C.), the ranking member of the Senate Banking Committee, and other Republicans oppose Bernstein because of the economist's comments on fossil fuels and support for Biden policies that they say have contributed to inflation. Bernstein, already a member of the Council of Economic Advisers, has been credited with driving the White House message that inflation was "transitory."
Bernstein's support for expensive gas seemingly puts him at odds with Biden, who has blamed oil companies, Russia, and even "MAGA Republicans" for higher fuel costs. When gas prices have decreased, Biden has tried to take credit, bragging last year that gas prices have "fallen every day this summer for 38 days in a row" because of his policies.
Bernstein's fate could lie in the hands of moderate members of the Senate Banking Committee. Sens. Jon Tester (D., Mont.) and Kyrsten Sinema (I., Ariz.) have voted against other progressive Biden nominees. They blocked Saule Omarova, Biden's nominee for comptroller of the currency, over her calls to regulate the banking industry. Omarova said she wanted to "starve" oil companies of funding to fight climate change.
Tester and Sinema have not said how they will vote on Bernstein. They did not respond to requests for comment.
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