Poll finds most voters believe US is heading in wrong direction
Independent voters are among the most dissatisfied ahead of the midterm elections, according to a new poll.
AI-assisted coverage comparison, editor-supervised · How this was made
Poll finds most voters believe US is heading in wrong direction
Photograph: thedailybs.com (embedded from source)
What this story says
- A national poll shows 60% of registered voters believe the country is going in the wrong direction.
- Only 30% of registered voters stated the country is headed in the right direction.
- Independent voters are identified as being among the most dissatisfied.
- The findings come as the US heads into midterm elections.
Who covered it
Percentages are shares of the 7 outlets carrying a published leaning rating. Coverage measured .
Trust
58/100
Craft
77/100
Hype
15/100
7 sources · methodology
A national poll has found that a majority of registered voters believe the United States is heading in the wrong direction. The Center Square Voters’ Voice Poll indicated that 60% of registered voters hold this view. In contrast, 30% of registered voters believe the country is headed in the right direction, and 10% expressed uncertainty.
The poll also highlighted the sentiment among independent voters, who are often seen as key to close electoral races. According to the findings, independent voters are among the most dissatisfied with the country's current direction. These results emerge as the nation approaches midterm elections.
Coverage comparison
What the coverage left out
None of the right-rated digests mention the specific percentage of voters who believe the country is headed in the right direction or the percentage who are unsure. The left-rated and centre-rated digests do not include these figures either.
Still developing. We have re-checked which outlets are covering this 1 time, most recently on 30 Aug 2026, 22:30, and will add the sides that appear.
How each side covered it
Our own reading of the reporting listed below, written from the outlets’ articles rather than quoted from them. The reasoning is set out on our methodology page.
Left
1 rated outlet
- The Watauga Democrat digest reported that most American voters believe the country is on the wrong track heading into the midterm elections. It noted that independent voters, who often decide close races, are among the most dissatisfied, according to a new national poll.
Centre
1 rated outlet
- The Purdue Exponent digest stated that most American voters believe the country is on the wrong track heading into the midterm elections. It also reported that independent voters, who often decide close races, are among the most dissatisfied, according to a new national poll.
Right
5 rated outlets
- Five right-rated digests reported that most American voters believe the country is on the wrong track heading into the midterm elections. They highlighted that independent voters, who often decide close races, are among the most dissatisfied, according to a new national poll. The Daily Signal, The Center Square, Vincennes Sun-Commercial, and [your]NEWS digests stated that 60% of registered voters say the country is going in the wrong direction. The Daily Bo Snerdley digest added that 30% say it is headed in the right direction and 10% are unsure.
Questions about this coverage
- How did the left and right cover Poll finds most voters believe US is heading in wrong direction?
- Of the 7 outlets on this story carrying a published leaning rating, 14% are rated left, 15% are rated centre, 71% are rated right. Those percentages are shares of the rated outlets, not of every outlet that ran it. The sections above set out what each side emphasised, in its own terms.
- Is Poll finds most voters believe US is heading in wrong direction left or right?
- Too few of the outlets on this story carry a published leaning rating to say. 7 of them do, and this site does not characterise a field under 12: at that size one newsroom filing moves the share by ten points. The percentages above are the count as it stands.
- Is the coverage of Poll finds most voters believe US is heading in wrong direction biased?
- Poll finds most voters believe US is heading in wrong direction is one event reported by 7 outlets, and this page does not rate the story as biased or unbiased. What it publishes is the spread: which outlets ran it, where named rating organisations place each of them on the spectrum, and what each side chose to lead with. A leaning rating describes an outlet's record over time, not this article, and the two should not be run together.
- Which outlets covered Poll finds most voters believe US is heading in wrong direction?
- 7 that we know of, every one of them listed further up this page with a link to its own report and to what we hold on the publisher. Nothing here is a summary of somebody else's summary: the outlets are named so the original reporting can be read.
- What percentage of voters believe the country is going in the wrong direction?
- According to The Center Square Voters’ Voice Poll, 60% of registered voters believe the country is going in the wrong direction. This finding suggests a widespread dissatisfaction with the current national trajectory.
- What percentage of voters believe the country is headed in the right direction?
- The Center Square Voters’ Voice Poll found that 30% of registered voters believe the country is headed in the right direction. This indicates a minority view among the electorate surveyed.
- Which group of voters is noted for its dissatisfaction?
- The poll identified independent voters as being among the most dissatisfied with the country's direction. This group often plays a crucial role in determining the outcomes of close elections.
Read it at the source
7 outlets, grouped by the leaning a published rating gives them. Every headline links to the original; an underlined outlet name opens our profile of that publisher.
Left
1Centre
1Right
5- Poll: Independents Sour on Country’s Direction Before Midterms (opens The Daily Signal in a new tab)
The Daily Signal — is The Daily Signal biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Poll: Independents sour on country's direction before midterms - The Daily Bo Snerdley (opens thedailybs.com in a new tab)
thedailybs.com — is thedailybs.com biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Poll: Independents sour on country’s direction before midterms (opens [your]NEWS in a new tab)
[your]NEWS — is [your]NEWS biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Poll: Independents sour on country's direction before midterms (opens Vincennes Sun-Commercial in a new tab)
Vincennes Sun-Commercial — is Vincennes Sun-Commercial biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Poll: Independents sour on country's direction before midterms (opens The Center Square in a new tab)
The Center Square — is The Center Square biased? Our profile of this outlet
Not rated
0No outlet in this group ran the story.
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![Left: [Stock image] Letter from USCIS covered in flag of USA. Right: President Donald Trump before signing executive orders in the Oval Office at the White House on September 19, 2025 in Washington, DC.](https://assets.newsweek.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Copy-of-32-Split-Screen-2026-08-29T084409-887.png?w=1200&crop=1)