Right Direction vs. Satisfac tion Diffference between Satisfaction" and Right Direction"
Prior to the election, both measures of opinion about the state of the nation had hit record lows: In October, only 7% said they were satisfied with the way things were going, while just 12% said the country was headed in the right direction.2 Since then, both assessments of the state of the nation have shown improvement, but the increase has been far greater in the percentage saying the country is headed in the right direction. By early March, 41% of Americans said the country is headed in the right direction compared with just 20% who said they are satisfied with the way things are going in the nation.
In the last 19 years, the only prior instances when the “right direction” measure significantly surpassed the “satisfaction” measure were in February 1991, near the end of the first Iraq war (by 11 points), in January 1993, around the time of Bill Clinton’s first inauguration (by 18 points) and in the aftermath of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks (by 11 points).
Right Direction vs. Satisfac tion  | Diffference between Satisfaction" and Right Direction"  | 11  | --15  | 11  | 18  | --21  | 90  | Sept  | Feb  | Dec Alar  | Jan  | 80  | 2001  | 1991  | 2008 2009  | 1993  | 70  | 60  | 50  | 40  | Mar 98-Jan01  | 30  | +5 to+  | May  | 20  | Dec 91  | 10  | +8 to +17  | Q  | 1990  | 1992  | 1994  | 1996  | 1998  | 2000  | 2002  | 2004  | 2006  | 2008  | Right direction (NBOWWSJI  | Satisfied (Gallup) 