2 in 3 pessimistic about state of US politics

Two-thirds of U.S. adults say they’re pessimistic about the state of politics in America, according to a new AP-NORC poll.

The survey shows 66 percent of U.S. adults say they’re either very (32 percent) or somewhat (34 percent) pessimistic about the state of politics in the country.

Meanwhile, only 16 percent say they’re either very (3 percent) or somewhat (13 percent) optimistic, and 18 percent say they are neither optimistic nor pessimistic.

The poll, conducted July 25-29, represents a slight improvement from a survey in November and December.

Those with pessimistic views about the state of politics dipped by 2 points compared with the survey late last year, when 68 percent of respondents were pessimistic. In early 2023, 63 percent of respondents shared in the pessimism.

Those with optimistic views increased by 6 points in the most recent survey, up from 10 percent from late 2023 polling. In January 2023, 15 percent of respondents said they were optimistic.

The most recent survey was conducted in the days after President Biden announced he would step aside as the Democratic Party’s presumptive nominee. While much of the party seemed to be coalescing around Vice President Harris as Biden’s replacement at the time, her nomination was not yet locked in.

The survey, which was released Thursday, included 1,143 adults and had a margin of sampling error of 4.1 percentage points.