A new NBC News national poll finds that two-thirds of voters believe the country is heading in the wrong direction.
According to the survey, 65% of registered voters are dissatisfied with the country's course, while only 28% say it's on the right track. Pollster Jeff Horwitt said the result should be seen as a warning sign for Democrats with less than two months to go before Election Day.
Horwitt, a Democrat, conducted the poll with GOP pollster Bill McInturff of Public Opinion Strategies. Horwitt said, "While the wrong track data is now under 70% for the first time since September 2022, it is still a terrible 65% for the party in power."
He added, "Related, the cost of living remains the dominant issue, and the share of voters who say their family's income is falling behind is the highest we have recorded at 66%."
Voters' opinions fell along party lines, with 92% of Republicans, 70% of independents, and just 36% of Democrats saying the country is off track.
Interest in the election has also dropped, with 65% of voters rating their enthusiasm as a 10 out of 10, a 10-point drop from the same time in 2020. McInturff cited pessimism about the country's general direction as a potential factor in the lack of enthusiasm.
Historically, the belief that the country is on the wrong track has been bad news for the party in the White House, NBC News Polling has found. Although Vice President Kamala Harris is not the incumbent, she is part of the current administration.
The national NBC News poll was conducted Sept. 13-17 of 1,000 registered voters and has an overall margin of error of plus or minus 3.1 percentage points.