DAILY BRIEFING
Satisfaction with Government Up
Americans are more satisfied now than at any time in recent years with the direction of the country and the performance of the federal government, according to a Washington Post-ABC News survey.
Of the 1,206 randomly selected adults polled, 46 percent said they were satisfied or enthusiastic about the way the federal government works, up from only 26 percent in 1994. The phenomenon of the "angry white male" seems to be fading. According to the survey, 44 percent of working-class white men said they were satisfied with government's performance, more than double the 20 percent who expressed a similar view in early 1995.
The percentage of people who think the country is headed in the right direction stands at 44 percent, up from 27 percent three years ago. Half of those interviewed said the country is "seriously off on the wrong track," down from 77 percent just two years ago.
President Clinton's job approval rating stands at 60 percent--the 22nd straight time since mid-1995 that Clinton's approval rating has topped 50 percent in Post-ABC News polls.
Public support for Congress is also high. Three out of four Americans approve of the job their representative in Congress is doing, and two out of three say their representative deserves to be reelected.
NEXT STORY: FDA to Regulate Cloning