The Nation : Nation’s Mood Improves

The mood of the nation today is far brighter than it was just two years ago, the Gallup Poll reported, with 51% now saying they are satisfied with the way things are going in the nation compared to 35% in August, 1983. Satisfaction with trends in the nation has increased from 12% in August, 1979, the year this measurement was started, to 50% in February, 1984, and has remained at about this level. Satisfaction with the way things are going in one’s personal life, already high, has also grown. Today, 82% say they are satisfied in this respect. This represents the highest level of satisfaction since the first measurement, in 1979. Much of the growth in optimism in recent years appears to be economically based. For example, in March, 1983, 25% of Americans said they were financially better off than a year earlier. The com- parable figure today is 38%.