Mood Of The Nation: Angry

Nine in 10 Americans can name either a recent news event or something about American politics that made them angry, while only half could identify a recent news event or something about American politics that made them proud, according to the McCourtney Institute for Democracy’s latest Mood of the Nation Poll, conducted with 997 American adults from Jan. 11 to 17, 2024.

In addition, when asked how angry or proud whatever they had identified made them feel, 46% of respondents said they felt “extremely angry,” over double the percentage who indicated feeling “extremely proud.”

Most Americans can identify something in politics or the news that makes them angry…

Half of respondents were asked, “What is there about American politics today that makes you feel angry?” and the other half were asked, “What has recently been in the news that makes you feel angry?” Responses to the two questions were similar and, in both cases, wide ranging.

Taken all together the most common set of responses were those mentioning President Joe Biden, former President Donald Trump or their respective political coalitions, adding up to nearly one quarter of all responses. This included:

• 14% of all respondents, including 28% of Democrats, who referred to “Trump, Republicans and the right” with 10% of all respondents specifically mentioning former President Trump.
• 10% who mentioned something having to do with “Biden, Democrats and the left,” including 22% of Republicans, with 7% of all respondents specifically mentioning President Biden.

Other common points of anger? One in five mentioned a domestic issue or policy, including immigration or border control (mentioned by 5% of respondents), the economy (3%) and crime (2%). An additional 12% of respondents mentioned a violation of democratic principles, including partisan division (6%), corruption (3%) and dishonesty (2%).

…but half cannot name something that makes them proud

Half of respondents were asked, “What is there about American politics today that makes you feel proud?” and the other half were asked, “What has recently been in the news that makes you feel proud?” Responses to the two questions were similar. Taken together, nearly half came up empty: 44% indicated “nothing” made them proud, and another 3% indicated “don’t know.”

Half of all respondents could identify something in the news or politics that made them proud, naming a wide variety of topics. “Principles of democracy” was the most common category of things people mentioned as inspiring pride (10% overall). This category included mentions of democracy itself (6% of all responses) as well as freedom (3%) and, much less often, unity.

Taken together, nearly as many mentioned Mr. Biden, Mr. Trump or their respective political coalitions:

• Overall, 5% mentioned feeling proud about something related to “Trump, Republicans and the right.” This included 14% of Republicans, 10% of whom specifically mentioned Mr. Trump.
• Overall, 4% mentioned feeling proud about something related to “Biden, Democrats and the left.” This included seven percent of Democrats, with two percent specifically mentioning Mr. Biden.

Next most common were mentions of domestic issues and policies, noted by seven percent. This category was led by mentions of the economy (2%).

How angry and how proud are Americans?

In this poll the question of what in the news or about American politics made respondents either proud or angry was followed by another asking, “how proud (or angry) does that make you feel?” By any measure, Americans are angry. Only 10% answered “nothing made me angry.” Nearly half, 46%, indicated they were “extremely angry.”

Unlike most polling results reported in recent years, this is a case where members of the two major political parties poll nearly identically: Similar proportions of Republicans and Democrats feel extremely angry (50% and 45%) and virtually identical proportions feel extremely proud (24% and 25%). Of course, as noted earlier, the kinds of things that make each either angry or proud are quite different.

The most striking difference in levels of anger among the demographic groups that we looked at is between the generations. Younger generations are somewhat prouder than older generations, and older generations are notably angrier than younger. Fifty-seven percent of Baby Boomers say they are “extremely angry,” compared to 48% of Generation X, 38% of Millennials, and only 32% of Generation Z.

Partner for this survey

The McCourtney Institute for Democracy at Penn State promotes scholarship and practical innovations that defend and advance democracy in the United States and abroad. Through teaching, research and public outreach, the Institute leverages the resources of Penn State and partners around the world to foster a model of deliberation, policymaking and responsiveness that is passionate, informed and civil.

The Institute’s Mood of the Nation poll offers a unique approach to public opinion polling. It allows Americans to speak in their own words through open-ended questions that focus on emotions like anger and hope, as well as commitment to constitutional principles.

For earlier findings from our collaboration with the McCourtney Institute, see our Mood of the Nation landing page.