American Mood Hurt by Past Year’s Events

Americans became notably more unhappy with the world and national situations in 1990 as the United States marched to the brink of war in the Middle East and its economy slumped at home, The Los Angeles Times Poll has found.

Only a year ago, entering the final decade of the 20th Century with the Iron Curtain disintegrating and the economy still healthy in much of the nation, America was about evenly divided between people satisfied and dissatisfied with the way things were going in the world and the nation, a similar Times survey showed.

But now, the people who are dissatisfied with what is happening overseas outnumber the satisfied by a lopsided 2 to 1. And the same is true of attitudes about the nation.

At the same time, however, the bulk of Americans--nearly 9 in 10--remains satisfied with their own lives and their communities, the year-end poll found.

“For most Americans, things are still pretty good,” Times political analyst William Schneider said in analyzing the survey’s results. “It’s a difference between perceptions and experiences. While people’s perceptions have become much more negative, their experiences have not. It appears that world tensions and the recession have not yet affected most Americans in any direct, personal way.”

If broad perceptions and personal experiences start matching up, of course, the political consequences could be serious for President Bush as he begins preparing to run for reelection in 1992.

Bush still gets high marks for his job performance, but not as high as a year ago. In the latest poll, 64% of the people approved of the way the President is handing his job and 29% disapproved. A year ago, 73% approved and 21% disapproved.

The Times Poll questioned a randomly selected cross section of 2,205 American adults about themselves and their communities, as well as the nation and the world. The telephone survey, supervised by Times Assistant Poll Director Susan Pinkus, was conducted Dec. 8-12. The margin of error was three percentage points in either direction.

Besides attitudes about the nation and the world, some other opinions changed a bit over the year, the poll found. For example:

--Fewer Americans say they are happy than did a year ago; less than two-thirds compared to three-fourths as the decade began.

--The public has slightly more of a “fend for themselves” attitude about needy people. By roughly 5 to 4, Americans say that when people are “in trouble” they “have an obligation to take care of themselves” rather than the government being “obligated to help.” Californians especially feel this way. A year ago, the nation was about equally split on this question.

--Americans now are less opposed to abortion than a year ago. The country is almost equally divided between people who favor abortion and those who oppose it. A year ago, people were 5 to 4 against. Californians have a much more liberal view, favoring abortion by 5 to 3.

--Roughly 7 in 10 Americans are dissatisfied “with moral values these days,” a slightly higher number than a year ago.

However, most basic American attitudes changed little during the year, the poll found. For example:

--”The main goal in life” still is to be happily married. After that comes a successful career, “helping others” and raising children.

--People say they marry mainly for love. Companionship is the No. 2 reason, followed by the desire to have children and security.

--The nation is split about equally between people who believe premarital sex is wrong and those who think it is all right. Three in five single people think it is OK. Californians are more tolerant of premarital sex than other Americans, approving of it by 5 to 3.

--About half the population believes it is more important to “work hard and do what is expected of you” than to “do the things that give personal satisfaction and pleasure.” An equal number feel just the opposite, that pleasure is more important than hard work. But in California, pleasure out rates the work ethic by 5 to 4.

--Two-thirds of Americans oppose legalizing drugs, but more than a quarter say it might be a good idea. In California, more than a third say legalization “may be the only way to bring the drug crisis under control.”

--The vast majority, almost 9 in 10, says that life-sustaining medical treatment should be withheld from terminally ill patients if that is their wish, or their family’s wish if the patient is unable to communicate.

--Two-income families are the most common, representing about half of America’s households. A third are supported only by men, while women are the sole providers of roughly one in seven homes.

--There is at least one gun in 43% of American homes. Half the gun owners say their weapons are for hunting.

It is the weapons of war in the Persian Gulf that apparently are the most worrisome to Americans. Of those interviewed, 64% said they were dissatisfied “with the world situation these days.” Only 32% were satisfied. A year ago, people were equally split on this question.

Iraq is the nation that people most often named as “the greatest threat to the United States over the next 10 years.”

But a close second was Japan, reflecting an attitude that economic power may be more potent than military power. And in California, where Japanese interests have bought up a lot of blue chip real estate, Japan is the nation regarded as the No. 1 threat to the United States.

As with the world situation, 63% of those interviewed said they were not satisfied with what is happening in this country. Only 32% were satisfied. A year ago, Americans were divided almost equally on this question.

Four in 10 described the nation’s economy as “bad,” double the number a year ago. A quarter said the country already is in a recession. But people were more optimistic about the coming year. Only a quarter predicted the economy still will be bad when 1992 begins.

People were much more content with their own finances. Four in 10 characterized their personal situations as “good,” roughly the same as a year ago. And half predicted that their own finances will be good a year from now.

The vast majority--85%--expressed satisfaction with their standards of living, representing virtually no change from a year ago.

Likewise, 86% said they were satisfied with their own community.

People chose crime as the nation’s “single most urgent problem,” as they also did a year ago. However, significantly fewer people cited it this year--38% compared to 59%. During the past year, the public’s concern about government spending, inflation and war significantly increased.

“The poll found a mood of growing negativism, mostly based on perceptions,” analyst Schneider said. “People don’t like what they see happening in the country and in the world. And they are likely to hold political leaders responsible.”

America’s Moods

The Los Angeles Times Poll, surveying Americans in all regions of the country, asked respondents how much they thought they spent monthly on housing, how much they thought they needed each week to get by, and their overall satisfaction with various aspects of their lives. Average monthly housing costs 1. 1990: $564 1989: $603 2. 1990: $545 1989: $456 3. 1990: $423 1989: $383 4. 1990: $347 1989: $324 5. 1990: $459 1989: $387 6. 1990: $389 1989: $344 7. 1990: $474 1989: $446 8. 1990: $638 1989: $609 California 1990: $711 1989: $690 U.S. 1990: $468 1989: $426 Amount of money needed each week to get by 1. 1990: $461 1989: $386 2. 1990: $362 1989: $307 3. 1990: $347 1989: $298 4. 1990: $325 1989: $270 5. 1990: $347 1989: $306 6. 1990: $331 1989: $348 7. 1990: $337 1989: $265 8. 1990: $443 1989: $376 California 1990: $485 1989: $406 U.S. 1990: $361 1989: $315

Overall satisfaction

Regarding Americans’ satisfaction with different aspects of their lives, respondents were asked: “All things considered, would you say you are satisfied or dissatisfied with -----------these days?” the way your life is going Satisfied: 89% Dissatisfied: 11% your community Satisfied: 86% Dissatisfied: 13% your standard of living Satisfied: 85% Dissatisfied: 13% your work Satisfied: 81% Dissatisfied: 11% the national situation Satisfied: 32% Dissatisfied: 63% foreign affairs Satisfied: 32% Dissatisfied: 64% moral values Satisfied: 26% Dissatisfied: 71%