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Pliny's Point on May 16, 2017
May 16, 2017: An average of 38 percent think the U.S. is headed in the right direction, while a majority of 56 percent think the country is on the wrong track, according to recent polls. Despite the pessimism, this is improved since inauguration day, when 29 percent thought the country was going in the right direction. The latest poll from Rasmussen Reports is at a 37 percent positive rating, and they note that their same poll was in the mid- to high 20s for most of 2016.[1]
| Source | Date range | Sample size | % who think the U.S. is headed in the right direction | Margin of error (+/-) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Politico/Morning Consult[2] | 5/9 - 5/11 | 1,731 registered voters | 44% | 2% |
| Rasmussen Reports[3] | 5/7 - 5/11 | 2,500 likely voters | 37% | 2% |
| Economist/YouGov[4] | 5/6 - 5/9 | 1,287 registered voters | 35% | 3.1% |
| Reuters/Ipsos[5] | 5/5 - 5/9 | 1,830 adults | 30% | 2.6% |
| IBD/TIPP[6] | 4/28 - 5/4 | 904 adults | 43% | 3.3% |
| CBS News[7] | 4/21 - 4/24 | 1,214 adults | 36% | 3% |
Methodology
For Ballotpedia's presidential approval, congressional approval, and direction of the country polling results, we take an average of the most recent polls on one or more of these topics conducted by 12 sources. Polls may be included in the average for up to 30 days, though this timeline may be adjusted to account for major news events as we attempt to balance the need for a larger sample of results with the need to remove outdated information. For a full description of our methodology and polling explanations, see: Ballotpedia's Polling Indexes.
What's in a name?
Pliny the Elder, a scholar from the Roman Empire, is most well known for writing the encyclopedic work Naturalis Historia, or “Natural History.” His extremely thorough work covered everything from botany to technology. Naturalis Historia, one of the largest Roman works that still exists from the first century A.D., became an example for future encyclopedic works through its formatting, references, and comprehensiveness.
Today, Ballotpedia works to preserve and expand knowledge, just like Pliny did hundreds of years ago. One of the features of Ballotpedia, the encyclopedia of American politics, was a daily statistic called Pliny’s Point. Each day, between January 20, 2017 and September 1, 2017, readers learned where Americans stood on the direction of the country, or their approval of elected officials.
Click here for more Pliny's Point articles.
See also
Ballotpedia daily polling averages:
Stay in the know:
- The Weekly Brew
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- You're Hired: Tracking the Trump Administration Transition, 2016-2017
- Policy issues under the Trump administration, 2017-2021
- 115th United States Congress
- Special elections to the 115th United States Congress (2017-2018)
Footnotes
- ↑ Rasmussen Reports, "Right Direction or Wrong Track," May 15, 2017
- ↑ Morning Consult, "Politico + Morning Consult Poll," May 9-11, 2017
- ↑ Rasmussen Reports, "Right Direction or Wrong Track," May 15, 2017
- ↑ YouGov, "The Economist/YouGov Poll," May 6 - May 9, 2017
- ↑ Ipsos, "Ipsos Poll Conducted for Reuters: Core Political Data," May 10, 2017
- ↑ Investor's Business Daily, "Trump's Approval Climbs As His Tax Cut Plan Wins Strong Support — IBD/TIPP Poll," May 8, 2017
- ↑ CBS News, "100 days: Sharp partisan divides mark Trump presidency - CBS News poll," April 26, 2017
