Poll: Majority report best outlook in 7 years

A majority of Americans now hold a favorable view of the country’s direction, a CNN/ORC International poll found. 

The fifty-two percent figure represents the first time since 2007 a majority of respondents have had a positive outlook. 

{mosads}And the poll revealed a gradual climb in favorability since a recent low-point in November 2013, when only 41 percent of Americans responded positively.

The boost appears to be tied to improving economic conditions over the past year. Nearly a third of people thought the economy “is starting to recover from the problems it faced in the past few years.” 

That’s the rosiest assessment of economic conditions the poll has seen in recent years. For several years, less than a fifth of people thought the economy was starting to recover.

The poll’s findings are somewhat surprising as Americans have expressed ongoing dissatisfaction in recent months over issues like the U.S. bombing strategy in Iraq and a stalled Congress.

Still, attitudes have rebounded significantly since the incredibly negative outlooks during the nadir of the economic recession. With one exception, 40 percent or more Americans have responded positively to the poll since 2012.

The most recent poll does indicate a gender and geographic split. More men than women think things are going well in America and that the economy is recovering.

And those in the Northeast and Midwest are more positive about things than respondents throughout the south and west. 

The poll was conducted through 1,045 telephone interviews done from Nov. 21 to 23. Its margin of error is plus or minus 3 percentage points.