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WASHINGTON, D.C. — Americans’ satisfaction with the way things are going in the U.S. is at its lowest since President Donald Trump took office in January, with 29% now saying they are satisfied. This contrasts with 31% to 33% readings each of the past three months and a term high of 38% in May.

Though subdued compared with recent months, satisfaction remains above the 20% recorded in January before Trump’s inauguration. That early 2025 reading was consistent with sub-30% levels seen since mid-2021, a period marked by high inflation and divided government that left partisans on both sides dissatisfied. Satisfaction has trended higher under Trump, typically buoyed by strong Republican approval.

Republicans’ Mood Dampened Most in September

Most of the decline in U.S. satisfaction this month is the result of fewer Republicans saying they are satisfied, now 68%, down from 76% in August. Satisfaction among both independents and Democrats is essentially unchanged, at 23% and 1%, respectively.

The latest poll, conducted Sept. 2-16, spanned the Sept. 10 assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk while he was speaking at a campus political event in Utah.

Crime, National Unity Increase as Top-of-Mind Concerns

Americans’ responses to Gallup’s monthly question probing the “most important problem facing this country” suggest that Kirk’s slaying is reverberating with Americans, particularly Republicans.

Mentions of crime or violence have more than doubled over the past month, rising from 3% in August to 8% in September — the highest level since August 2020, and before that, 2002. This uptick comes amid a spate of violent events, including the Minneapolis Catholic school shooting that killed two children on Aug. 27 and the stabbing death of a Ukrainian woman on a North Carolina train on Aug. 22. However, most of the increase in crime mentions in this month's poll occurred after Kirk’s Sept. 10 murder.

National unity has also increased as a concern, cited by 10% of Americans, up from 5% in August. This marks the highest level for the issue since January 2021, when concerns spiked following the Jan. 6 Capitol riot.

Compared with August, mentions of crime or violence have increased most sharply among Republicans, rising from 6% to 14%, while increased concern about unifying the country has been most pronounced among independents, rising from 5% to 13%.

Meanwhile, at 28%, dissatisfaction with government leadership continues to dominate Americans’ concerns, as it has since last fall, followed by immigration (14%) and the economy and national unity (10% each).

Trump Job Approval Steady; Economic Sentiment Unchanged

Trump’s job approval rating remains at 40% in September, matching his ratings from June and August. Fifty-six percent disapprove of his performance. This month’s stability follows a dip to 37% in July, the low point of his second term.

While Trump’s approval rating has declined from a second-term high of 47% in January, it remains above the levels recorded at a comparable point in his first term. In August 2017, his approval slipped to 36% amid investigations into Russian interference in the 2016 election, and it remained below 40% for the rest of the year. Those early ratings were the lowest of Trump’s first term, except for his final reading in January 2021, when it plunged to 34%.

Support from Republicans continues to be the main driver of Trump’s slightly improved second-term ratings.

Economic Confidence Remains Negative

There has also been no change in Americans’ confidence in the U.S. economy over the past month, with Gallup’s Economic Confidence Index (ECI) steady at -20. This reflects relatively few Americans rating current economic conditions as excellent or good (28%) while the majority continue to say the economy is getting worse (63%).

Americans’ views about the economy have been moderately negative all year, with the ECI registering in a narrow range between -14 (in June) and -22 (in April). These ratings extend a negative stretch for the index that’s been in place since 2021 and contrast with Trump’s first term, when confidence was consistently positive until the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.

Bottom Line

Americans’ satisfaction with the country’s direction has dipped to its lowest level since Trump returned to office, driven largely by a decline among Republicans. Rising public concern about crime and national unity, both of which spiked this month, may be contributing to the slide.

At the same time, confidence in the president and the economy has not shifted, underscoring that the dip in national mood is a reflection of other factors.

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