U.S. Capitol (Photo by Carah Hart, Brownfield Ag News)
As the primaries and general elections approach, the outlook for state and national politics remains overwhelmingly negative, according to data from the Pew Research Center. About 28% of those surveyed have a negative view of both parties, the highest percentage in the past 30 years. And a quarter of adults feel neither party adequately represents their views.
Peveril Squire, a political science professor at the University of Missouri, speculates that a majority of voters will vote against the candidate they want to see in office, rather than for the candidate they want.
“Generally, I think when you ask people before a presidential election if they're happy with the candidates, you often get an unhappy response,” he explained. “Part of the reason is that we've had such a long election period in this country that everybody gets pretty fatigued, and, of course, now we have a rematch, which is something that we're not normally used to.”
He explained that the high cost of living could be a factor in determining who is selected as a candidate.
“I think a lot of people are still frustrated with the rising cost of living, especially in the housing sector and when you go to the grocery store. We'll see how that plays out over the next few months,” he said. “As for the agricultural community, we've got to get through the entire growing season.”
The survey also found that positive views of many government and political institutions are at historic lows: Just 16% of Americans say they trust the federal government all or most of the time.
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