By CNN Political Unit
(CNN) — American views on the state of the nation are turning increasingly sour, according to a new national poll.
The CNN/ORC International survey released Friday also indicates that less than a quarter of the public says economic conditions are improving, while nearly four in 10 say the nation’s economy is getting worse.
Forty-one percent of those questioned in the poll say things are going well in the country today, down 9 percentage points from April, and the lowest that number has been in CNN polling since February 2012. Fifty-nine percent say things are going badly, up 9 points from April.
Besides an obvious partisan divide, which contributes to an urban-rural gap, the survey also indicates a difference of opinion between younger and older Americans.
“There’s a slight generational divide, with 46% of those under age 50 saying things are going well. That number drops to 36% for those 50 and older,” said CNN Polling Director Keating Holland.
Looking specifically at the economy, 39% feel that the economy is still in a downturn, up 6 points from April.
Only 24% believe an economic recovery is under way while 36% are in the middle — they don’t think we’re in a recovery but they believe conditions have stabilized.
Just under a quarter say that an economic recovery’s underway, with 36% in the middle, saying they don’t believe the economy’s recovering, but that conditions have stabilized.
Again, the survey indicates partisan and geographic divides, as well as a generational gap, with 45% of those age 50 and older, but only 34% of those under age 50 saying the economy’s still in a downturn.
The poll was conducted November 18-20 for CNN by ORC International, with 843 adult Americans questioned by telephone. The survey’s overall sampling error is plus or minus 3.5 percentage points.
CNN Political Editor Paul Steinhauser contributed to this report.
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