49 Percent of Americans Angrier Now Compared to One Year Ago
Republicans Angrier Than Democrats, 61 Percent to 42 Percent
52 Percent Believe the “American Dream” No Longer Holds True
JAN. 3, 2016 – Nearly half of Americans are angrier about current events than they were one year ago, according to a new NBC News/Esquire poll released today, with whites and Republicans ranking the angriest.
Out of the 49 percent of angry Americans, 54 percent of whites have grown more outraged over the past year, compared to 43 percent of Hispanics and 56 percent of African-Americans.
Broken down by political affiliation, Republicans are angrier than Democrats: 61 percent to 42 percent, respectively.
By gender, 53 percent of women are angry, compared with 44 percent of men.
The idea of the “American dream” no longer holds true, according to 52 percent.
Extended political analysis is included below and can also be read here: http://nbcnews.to/1mxt1lR.
The NBC News/SurveyMonkey/Esquire poll, conducted in an effort to better understand the anger defining our national conversation on politics, was conducted from November 20 to 24, 2015, among a national sample of 3,257 adults ages 18 and over, including a targeted sample of adults with an education level of high school or less.
MANDATORY CREDIT: NBC NEWS/ESQUIRE
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Poll: Whites and Republicans Rank as Angriest Americans
By Andrew Rafferty (@AndrewNBCNews)
Nearly half of Americans are angry, and no groups are angrier than whites and Republicans, according to a new NBC News/Survey Monkey/Esquire online poll about outrage in the country.
Overall, 49 percent of Americans said they find themselves feeling angrier now about current events than they were one year ago. Whites are the angriest, with 54 percent saying they have grown more outraged over the past year. That’s more than Latinos (43 percent) and African-Americans (33 percent).
Seventy-three percent of whites said they get angry at least once per day, compared with 66 percent of Hispanics and 56 percent of blacks.
The poll also found Republicans are angrier than Democrats. Sixty-one percent of Republicans say current events irk them more today than a year ago, compared to 42 percent of Democrats.
Republicans rank Congressional dysfunction and consumer fraud as the issues they get angriest about. Democrats rank police shooting unarmed black men as the issue that makes them most mad.
And in what may come as a surprise to some, women slightly edge out men in their outrage, 53 percent to 44 percent. Fifty-eight percent of white women say they are angrier compared to 44 percent of non-white women.
Overall, 52 percent of the country said the idea of the “American dream” no longer holds true. The group most pessimistic about the thought that anyone in the country can work hard to get ahead is Americans between 45 and 64 who are thinking about retirement, the survey found.
More than half of Americans (54 percent) say their financial situation is worse off than they thought it would be. Asked why, a plurality of respondents said it is harder today to succeed than it used to be.
Very rich Americans earning household incomes above $150,000 were the least angry income bracket. The poorest Americans earning less than $15,000 were the most angry.
And if you want to find out how angry you are in comparison to the rest of America, click here to take the rage quiz.
The NBC/Survey Monkey/Esquire online poll was conducted Nov. 20-24 of 3,257 adults.
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For more information, please contact:
Olivia Petersen
NBC News
202-885-4159
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