Americans' satisfaction with country's direction wanes: Gallup

American's perception that the country is on the right path is falling, as 26 percent of Americans say they are satisfied with the way things are going in the nation, according to a Gallup poll released Monday.

The poll comes as unemployment, while dropping, still remains high. Despite the official jobless figure of 5.4 percent, experts say the number is misleading, as it is calculated based on those who are actively seeking work, and does not count the millions of people who have given up looking for jobs. Unemployment remains one of the nation's most frequently cited problems.

The drop in Americans' satisfaction with the way things are going parallels the recent decline in economic confidence. Americans had a more positive outlook on the economy at the dawn of 2015, but these views, like satisfaction, have edged down in recent months, Gallup found.

Views of the nation's direction have certainly been brighter in the past. Majorities of Americans were typically satisfied with the direction of the U.S. between 1998 and mid-2002 -- including a record high of 71 percent in February 1999, when the economy was booming.

But satisfaction declined steadily in the latter half of former President George W. Bush's presidency as the public grew disillusioned with the war in Iraq and the national economy suffered. This dip in satisfaction culminated in 7 percent of Americans, a record low, saying they were satisfied with the direction of the nation in October 2008 as the global economy took a nose dive and the U.S. stock market plummeted.

Satisfaction improved significantly during the first year of President Barack Obama's term -- reaching 36 percent in August 2009. It has not returned to that level since, ranging between 11 percent and 33 percent throughout U.S. President Barack Obama's time in office.

Though the 14 percent of Americans who name dissatisfaction with government, Congress and politicians as the top problem facing the U.S. has fallen five points since April, it still remains the most commonly mentioned problem.

The economy in general and unemployment have remained at the top of the list for several years. But mentions of these issues are down significantly from their recent peaks -- the economy reached a high of 37 percent in 2012, and unemployment reached a high of 39 percent in 2011.

Race relations and racism, at 8 percent, immigration, at 6 percent, a decline in moral, religious and family ethics, at 6 percent, the state of the healthcare system, at 5 percent, and terrorism, at 5 percent, were also among the most frequently cited problems facing the nation. Endite