NBC Chief Data Analyst Steve Kornacki discussed the latest NBC News poll on “Meet the Press” on Sunday, pointing out that Colleges/Universities are the only institutions a majority of Democrats trust, more than the military or anything else. “Only 36% of Americans trust Colleges and Universities,” he said. “But there is a partisan divide.” A majority of Democrats have a ‘great deal’ or ‘quite a bit’ of trust in Colleges and Universities. This is the only major institution a majority of Democrats (52%) feel that way about. They don’t feel that way about the Military or any other institution,” he said. “Meanwhile, Republicans, you can see, 86% trust in the Military, only 17% Colleges and Universities.” Second-term low of 42% approval for Donald Trump among registered voters | RCP Average is 40.6

KORNACKI: The bottom line on Trump’s standing with the voters, his approval rating, sits at 42% in our NBC poll, among registered voters. That is down a tick; the last time we checked in, early in the spring, he was at 44%. That is the second term low in our poll for Donald Trump, falling to 42% right now.

Democrats lead Generic Congressional Ballot by five points | RCP Average shows Democrats up 5.8

KORNACKI: This dovetails with the generic congressional ballot. Inside of five months to the midterm, a five-point lead for the Democrats. Obviously, that’s a strong number for them. The Republicans would say: If you think back to Trump’s first term, that blue wave of 2018, this number was more at, like. eight to ten points. So Republicans hoping to contain the damage, at least, looking at a number like that.”

Only 56% “Extremely” or “Very” proud to be American | RCP Average shows 33.6% believe the country is going in the “Right Direction”

KORNACKI: Some big picture numbers on how folks feel about the country, where it is. Some sobering numbers. Take a look at this one. We asked, as we celebrate 250 years: How proud are you to be an American? – 33% — “Extremely proud to be American – 23% — Very proud – 22% — “Moderately proud” – 11% — “Only a little proud” – 10% — “Not at all proud” 56% say “extremely” or “very proud” together, while 21% say “only a little or “not at all” proud. This number is in a steady 21st-century decline. At the turn of the century, three-quarters of Americans were “extremely” or “very” proud. That number’s now fallen to 56%. What’s behind this? It’s familiar fault lines — political, demographic — but first, partisan. Republicans (90%) are almost universally going to tell you they are extremely or very” proud to be American, compared to 29% of Democrats. Meanwhile, 12 times as many Democrats (36%) say “only a little” or “not at all” proud, compared to 3% of Republicans. We have talked about age so many times. Older Americans (75%) are more likely to have that “extremely” proud feeling. Younger Americans (36%) are much more ambivalent on this question. That’s the state of the country.

Which institutions do Americans trust?

KORNACKI: How about the major institutions that undergird the country? The military is the only major institution that a majority of Americans have “a great deal” or “quite a bit” of confidence in. 36% of Americans trust “Colleges and Universities.” So you say, Why are you putting a number with only 36% on there? It’s because of the partisan divide. A majority of Democrats (52%) have a “great deal” or “quite a bit” of trust in colleges and universities. This is the only major institution that a majority of Democrats feel that way about. They don’t feel that way about the military or any other institution. Meanwhile, Republicans, you can see, 86% trust in the military, only 17% colleges and universities. And then the flip side. “Very little or “no confidence at all,” a long list here of these institutions: – The News Media: 64% have “little” or “no” trust. – Congress: 56% – Federal government: 52% – Religious organizations: 43% – Supreme Court: 40% Over the last 20 years these numbers are 20 or 30 points higher than they’ve been. Just deteriorating confidence. You could see a partisan divide a little bit on these too. Republicans much more distrustful of the media, Democrats extremely negative on the Supreme Court.

“Do our best days lie ahead of us or are they behind us?”

KORNACKI: And big picture here, asking folks about where we are going. Almost 60% say “behind us.” – 38% – Ahead of us – 58% — Behind us There is a bit of a partisan gap here. One thing to note, when Joe Biden was president a few years ago, it was the Democrats who were a little bit more optimistic than the Republicans. So there is a partisan aspect. That’s where we’re going.

How much has America achieved its founding ideals?

KORNACKI: Maybe we end on a positive note, where we’ve been. How about this question? “How much has America achieved its founding ideals?” – 70% say, a great deal or fair amount – Only 29% say no. Fifty years ago, during the bicentennial, the same question was asked, and the numbers weren’t too different. So, big picture, looking back, we do feel good about where we’ve come.

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