The Pre-Election Paradox

Wall Street Journal: The Pre-Election Paradox

While 70% say U.S. is a mess, 84% say they're happy. Is progress possible?

On New Year's Eve, Gallup's poll delivered unto us the good news that 84% of Americans say they are satisfied with how things are going for them personally. What Woody Allen might say about that phenomenal datum of good cheer one can only guess. One then has to account for the darker data Gallup released two weeks earlier: Some 70% of those responding believe the nation is headed in the wrong direction. ...

Next week I'm going to be updating my series on social indicators for 2007. The disconnect between the feeling things are going in the wrong direction while so many trends show two or three decades of significant improvement in quality of life is fascinating to me.

Comments

[phil_style]

"The disconnect between the feeling things are going in the wrong direction while so many trends show two or three decades of significant improvement in quality of life is fascinating to me."

I'd put alot of this down to Human's natural fear of change. Even if change is likely to be positive, people are still resistant.

[Michael W. Kruse]

I think that may be a big piece of it. I also suspect that as things get better expectations rise about how good things should be. Each improvement in some areas is exponentially harder to achieve than one before.