Traditional polling forces citizens to place themselves into set categories, even on issues in which they are uninformed and uninterested.
The Mood of the Nation poll gives citizens a series of open-ended questions, allowing them to answer in their own words—saying what is on their minds, what is important to them, and thereby providing a unique window on contemporary American politics.
Read more about how the poll was conducted and the team that makes it happen.
Latest Poll Reports
As Americans celebrate the 250th anniversary of the Declaration, Penn State’s McCourtney Institute for Democracy wanted to learn how Americans think our system of governance is delivering on this promise. We find that most Americans feel that governments are coming up short across the board, but especially so when it comes to the pursuit of happiness.
These results come from a McCourtney Institute Mood of the Nation poll conducted May 19 to 26, 2026, by YouGov. The poll has a margin of error of ± 3.8% for the full sample of 1,000 adults.
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The McCourtney Institute for Democracy’s latest Mood of the Nation Poll, conducted with 1,000 U.S. adults by YouGov from May 19 to 26, 2026, included questions aimed at better understanding what the American public thinks about the job performance of the President, the Congress and the Supreme Court, as well as voter preferences in the upcoming congressional elections.
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One in three Americans worry about falling behind in paying their rent or mortgage. One in three employed adults worry about losing their job in the next 12 months, including 15% who are “very worried” about losing their job.
Nearly 1 in 4 employed Americans say that it is either somewhat or very likely that they will face losing their job sometime in the next 12 months. The same proportion of all adults indicate that they are likely to fall behind on their rent or mortgage payments.