Poll: 53% of voters say country is headed in the wrong direction

A majority of Americans say the country is headed in the wrong direction, according to new polling.

The Center Square Voters' Voice poll shows that 53% of overall voters think the country is headed in the wrong direction, while 36% believe the country is headed in the right direction.

The Center Square Voters’ Voice Poll was conducted by Noble Predictive Insights between March 2-5, 2026. The poll sample included 2,659 respondents, comprised of 952 Republicans, 934 Democrats, and 773 Independents, of which 330 are True Independents, which Noble Predictive refers to as independents who, when asked if they leaned toward one of the major parties, chose neither. It is among the most comprehensive tracking polls in the country.

Among political parties, 63% of Republican voters said the country is headed in the right direction, 80% of Democrat voters said the wrong direction, and 61% of Independent voters said the wrong direction.

Mike Noble, Founder and CEO of Noble Predictive Insights, noted how despite pessimism for the country’s current direction, independent voters were not leaning more toward the Democratic party.

“The true independents are feeling the pain more economically and foreign policy under Trump than they were with Biden,” Noble said. “It's not getting better for folks financially, especially when you look at wage growth comparatively.”

Voters under 30 are especially pessimistic, with the majority, 62%, saying the country is on the wrong track.

Hispanic or Latino voters at 58% and Black voters at 66% were noted to be more pessimistic about the direction of the country while white voters had the highest percentage of positive views at 41%.

Women of all ages seemed to be more pessimistic, with a 59% majority saying the country is on the wrong track compared to the 47% of men believing the country to be on the right track.

Noble noted that inflation prices were a main concern for voters, along with tariffs and government fraud, which may have played a role in the poll responses.

“Economic wise, it was starting with Biden. However, I think things have, you know, it's that fatigue setting in as well,” Noble said. “It's not getting better for folks financially, especially when you look at wage growth comparatively.”

The poll’s margin of error is +/- 1.9%.