EXCLUSIVE: More Americans than ever say the U.S. is headed in the wrong direction as Congress’ approval rating remains near rock bottom, the annual Reagan National Defense Survey has found.
According to the survey, just 25% of American adults think the U.S. is headed in the right direction, while a whopping 70% say it’s on the wrong track.
That’s a significant change since the survey was first taken in 2018, when just 54% saw the country as on the wrong track and 27% said it was going in the right direction.
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An American flag flies off the back of the retired FDNY John J. Harvey fireboat as it sails past lower Manhattan and One World Trade Center while taking part in a 9/11 commemorative flotilla in the Hudson River on September 10, 2021, in New York City. (Gary Hershorn/Getty Images)
Just 5% said they had a “great deal” of confidence in Congress with 21% saying they had “some” confidence. 26% said they had “a little” confidence, while 43% said they had “not much at all.”
Those numbers also represent a significant decline in Americans’ views of the legislative branch of the federal government. In 2018, 39% said they had either a “great deal” or “some” confidence in Congress, while 28% said “a little,” and 43% said “not much at all.”
When asked which problem facing the country was most important, inflation and the price of gas and groceries came in at 16%, tied with jobs and the economy.
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Birds fly near the U.S. Capitol in Washington, U.S., October 4, 2021. (REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque/File Photo)
Politics and partisanship followed at 10%, with corruption and incompetent leaders (9%) and immigration (5%) rounding out the top five.
Americans also expressed severe concern about a number of other issues, including the threat of a conventional military attack against the country. 62% said they were concerned about such an attack while 25% said they were not.
85% said they were concerned about a potential cyberattack, 81% about a potential terrorist attack and 87% about political division in the U.S. ultimately leading to violence.
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On the nation’s defense, 55% of Americans said the U.S. relied too much on non-allied countries for the materials necessary for national security, compared to 16% who said it did not, and 18% who said it “depends.”
Regarding the domestic manufacturing capacity for the U.S. to produce its own materials for national defense, 69% said more was needed.
Additionally, 70% said more domestic manufacturing capacity was needed for the country to be able to ramp up production to meet needs in the event of a crisis.
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The results come as part of the survey’s 6th year and 10th Reagan National Defense Forum. It included the participation of 2,506 U.S. adults surveyed from Oct. 27 to Nov. 5.
