Are America’s best days in the past? Poll finds generational and partisan divide

Is America past its prime, or has it yet to reach its greatest heights? New polling reveals there is little consensus.

In the latest CBS News poll, 47% of respondents said they feel America’s “best days” are in its future, while 45% said they’re in the past. A much smaller share, 7%, said the country’s best days are right now.

The results largely broke along generational and partisan lines, with older respondents and conservatives being the most likely to say America’s heyday is in the rearview mirror.

Responses were also skewed based on educational attainment and, to a lesser extent, gender.

The poll, which was conducted between Oct. 8 and 11, sampled 2,719 registered voters and has a margin of error of 2.3 percentage points.

Breakdown of the findings

The largest divide in the poll came along partisan divides.

Most Democrats, 63%, said the country’s best days are in the future, while 26% said they’re in the past.

In contrast, a majority of Republicans, 57%, said America’s best days are in the past, while 38% said they’re yet to come.

Just 4% of Republicans said the country is currently going through its best days, while nearly three times as many Democrats, 11%, said the same.

A slight majority of independents, 54%, said they believe America’s best days are in the past, while 40% said they’re in the future.

A similar contrast in responses was seen between age groups.

Fifty-three percent of respondents between the ages of 45 and 64 said the country has already peaked, while 56% of respondents under age 30 said America had yet to reach its pinnacle.

Interestingly, respondents aged 65 and older were evenly split on whether the country’s best days were ahead or in the past.

White respondents were roughly evenly split as well, with 49% saying the best days were in the past and 45% saying they had yet to come.

Meanwhile, majorities of Black and Hispanic respondents — 58% and 53%, respectively — said the best days were still ahead, while much smaller shares — 31% and 36% — said they were in the past.

Further, 55% of white respondents without four-year degrees said America’s heyday has come and gone, while 40% said it still lies in store. In contrast, 51% of white respondents with four-year-degrees said the best days are in the future, while 42% said they are in the past.

Lastly, men were slightly more likely than women to express hope about the future.

Half of men said America’s best days have yet to come, while 42% said they have already happened. Forty-eight percent of women, on the other hand, said the country’s best days were in the past, while 45% said they are in the future.

This story was originally published October 14, 2024 at 1:51 PM with the headline "Are America’s best days in the past? Poll finds generational and partisan divide."