When was America great? The most popular era wasn't that long ago, poll finds
For years, President Donald Trump has campaigned on and popularized the slogan 'Make America Great Again.'
But when, specifically, was America great? Not too long ago, according to a new poll.
In a YouGov survey, respondents were asked to assess 16 periods of time throughout U.S. history — starting 400 years back — based on quality of life. Two consecutive periods ranked the highest: the 1980s and the 1990s.
Meanwhile, the least popular era came about 100 years ago, when the country was plagued by the Great Depression.
Breaking down the poll
In the poll — which sampled 1,139 U.S. adults April 9-11 — 57% of respondents said the Reagan Era (1980-91) was excellent or good in terms of quality of life, making it the most favorably viewed period.
Coming in close second was the Clinton Era (1993-2001), with 55% of respondents saying it was excellent or good.
Following this was the Postwar Baby Boom (1946-1964), which garnered a 51% positive rating.
The other 13 eras received favorable ratings of less than 50%. Among those that made up the middle of the pack were the Counterculture Era (1964-1974) — with 46% — and the Post-9/11 Era (2001-2008) — with 40%.
The early years of the country — and the time before the nation's founding — ranked among the bottom in terms of quality of life.
Just 11% said the Colonial Period (1607-1776) was good or excellent, and 5% said the same for the Civil War (1861-1865). Just 3% said the same for the Great Depression (1929-1939), making it the least popular period.
When broken down by partisan affiliation, responses diverged somewhat, according to the poll, which has a margin of error of about 4 percentage points.
For example, Democrats rated the Clinton Era the highest, with 75% saying it was good or excellent. This was followed by the Postwar Baby Boom, with 49% labeling it favorably.
In contrast, Republicans gave their highest rating (82%) to the Reagan Era, which was also followed by the Postwar Baby Boom (59%).
Quality of life wasn't the only metric used. Respondents were also asked to rank the 16 eras based on political stability and global influence.
On these questions, no consensus was reached. But a high of 18% said the Reagan era was the most politically stable, and 14% said the same for the Clinton Era.
Additionally, a plurality, 31%, said the present period is the least politically stable, easily outstripping the 17% who selected the Civil War.
A high of 14% also said the U.S. had the most global influence during World War II (1939-1945). This was followed by the Postwar Baby Boom, the Reagan Era and the present — all three of which received 13%.
And 23% said the country had the least influence in the world during the Colonial Period, followed by 16% who said the same for the present.
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