Poll: Sour economy sours public mood

NEW YORK, April 3 (UPI) -- More than 80 percent of U.S. adults say the country is going in the wrong direction, a pessimism fueled by the sour economy, a poll released Thursday indicated.

The New York Times/CBS poll found that 81 percent of respondents agreed that "things have pretty seriously gotten off on the wrong track." That's up from 39 percent in early 2003 and 69 percent a year ago.

The unhappiness cuts across the political and demographic spectrum, with a majority of Democrats and Republicans unhappy with the course of the country. While 78 percent of those polled said they are worse off than they were four years ago, only 4 percent said they were better off.

The poll found that the economy is the issue voters are most concerned about, with 37 percent listing it as the most important issue and another 16 percent listing another economic issue like healthcare as their top concern. Only 17 percent said the Iraq War or terrorism is most important.

The poll surveyed 1,368 adults in late March by telephone. The margin of error is 3 percent.