In the midst of unprecedented prosperity and national security, the United States suffers from declining confidence in many
of its central institutions. This book examines public attitudes toward several aspects of American life to produce a fuller picture of areas of satisfaction and dissatisfaction than has ever been offered before. The book contains hundreds of poll results from major national survey organizations, presented in an easy-to-read format.
Mr. Ladd is the director of the Institute for Social Inquiry at the University of Connecticut and the executive director and
president of the Roper Center for Public Opinion Research. Ms. Bowman is a resident fellow at AEI and editor of the "Opinion Pulse" section of The American Enterprise, AEI's bimonthly magazine of politics, business, and culture.
The American mood is
remarkably upbeat today. This spring, three-quarters of Americans, the highest percentage since the early 1970s, said they believed things in the country were going well. In another poll, more than 80 percent said that the nation's economy was in good shape. Congress's ratings are as high as they have been since Watergate, and President Clinton, despite another blast of scandal, enjoys a remarkably high approval rating.