In the Monmouth University poll, only 16 in 100 respondents said Washington has a more positive effect.

About half of the public (51%) said the administration’s problems are due to elected officials’ unwillingness to compromise.

Meanwhile, 42% said the authorities seem unwilling to stand up for their principles.

Also, only four out of 10 Americans consider the state of the Union is strong, which implies a decrease with respect to the majority who thought this way five years ago.

For the director of the Monmouth University Polling Institute, Patrick Murray, ‘fundamental faith in the American system continues to erode, even when taking into account the fact that partisan views change depending on who occupies the White House’.

The poll also revealed that only 24% of Americans believe the country is headed in the right direction, while 73 out of 100 indicated that things are going in the wrong direction.

According to the tracking, the indicator on the negative impact of the federal government on people’s lives was up from 50% in June, 2015.

‘Washington is not seen as a force for good (…) The question is whether the country as a whole can overcome the lack of trust that pervades our current political climate,’ Murray noted.

Tomorrow Joe Biden will deliver his annual State of the Union address to a more divided Congress, after the Republicans took control of the House of Representatives following the November 8 congressional elections.

In his address, the president will likely discuss his administration’s accomplishments as lawmakers debate the so-called debt ceiling, the amount of money the federal government is allowed to borrow through Treasury securities to meet its financial obligations.

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