New polling data released by Rasmussen Reports shows that a majority of American voters believe the country is headed in the wrong direction, and that economic confidence is lower than in recent months.
A national survey found that 39% of likely American voters say the country is on the right path, while 55% think it is headed in the wrong direction. This marks a slight change from the same period last year, when 43% said the country was heading in the right direction and 51% said it was on the wrong track.
The results are based on a Rasmussen Report survey of 1,776 likely voters conducted from April 5 to 9, 2026, and have a margin of error of plus or minus 2 percentage points.
Decline in economic confidence
Rasmussen’s other poll also points to weakening economic sentiment. The company’s economic index fell to 100.4, down nearly 10 points from March and well below the recent peak of 115.9 recorded in July 2025.
The index has fluctuated significantly in recent years. It reached a high of 147.8 in January 2020, but fell sharply during the COVID-19 pandemic. After a partial recovery in late 2020, it declined again in the following years, hitting a low of 78.6 in July 2022.
Current attitudes towards the economy reflect growing concerns.
34% of American adults rate the economy as good or good, down 3 points from last month 40% say the economy is bad, up 6 points from March
Expectations for the future have also deteriorated.
22% think the economy is improving, down 8 points 56% think the economy is getting worse, up 6 points 17% think the economy will stay about the same but increase slightly
The economic survey was conducted April 1-2, 2026 among 1,500 American adults and had a margin of error of plus or minus 3 percentage points.
The gap between parties widens
The data highlights sharp partisan divides in economic perceptions. A majority of Republicans (53%) rate the economy as good or excellent, compared with 29% of Democrats and 25% of independent voters.
This represents a major change from the second half of 2024. Republican confidence has increased 33 points since October 2024, when just 20% viewed the economy positively. By contrast, confidence in Democrats fell 30 points over the same period, down from 59%.
Broad sentiment trends
Taken together, the findings suggest that concerns about the direction of the country and the economy remain closely linked. Although economic confidence has improved from its 2022 lows, the recent economic downturn and growing pessimism about future conditions appear to continue to feed a “wrong path” sentiment among a majority of voters.
Rasmussen Reports notes that all research fieldwork was conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC using a combination of telephone and online methods.
