There were many warning signs for Democrats ahead of the 2024 election—among them was polling on whether Americans believed the country was on the right or wrong track. Two-thirds of voters felt the country under the Biden-Harris administration was going in the wrong direction—that’s not a good sign when you’re the party in power. But with President-elect Donald Trump heading back to Washington, Americans are feeling more upbeat, new polling finds.
Asked how they felt after the election results, more than half of voters, 54 percent, said they felt “hopeful” and 50 percent said they felt “relieved.” On the flip side, about 40 percent said they felt "depressed" or "angry," and 46 percent said they are "scared."
These results are similar to how voters felt in 2016 after Trump was first elected, though fewer are hopeful now (-5 points), while more are depressed (+10) compared to eight years ago.
The decrease in the number feeling hopeful and increase in those feeling depressed is primarily driven by Democrats and Independents. […]
The poll, released Wednesday, also digs into how voters think the Trump administration will handle certain issues and what the priorities should be.
According to the 2024 Fox News Voter Analysis (FNVA) election survey, 4 in 10 voters said the economy was the most important issue facing the country (39%) and that inflation was the single most important factor to their vote -- and both groups backed Trump by at least 20 points. (Fox News)
"The fact that hopeful is the top emotion about the election outcome mostly reflects the deep partisan divide in the country, but notably, one in five Democrats is hopeful," Democratic pollster Chris Anderson, who carries out the Fox News survey with Republican Daron Shaw, told the outlet. "While it’s a stretch to say that means Trump can bridge the partisan divide, it may reflect that at least some Democrats think he can make progress in certain areas -- most likely inflation and border security, the top voting issues this year."