Who are the 15 percent who say U.S. is on right track?

By ALAN FRAM

WASHINGTON — They're almost an endangered species, the dwindling number of people who say the country is heading in the right direction. But they're out there.

The way they see it, the U.S. has come through tough times before and will do it again.

Fewer than one in seven, or 15 percent, say the country is on the right path, according to the latest Associated Press-Yahoo News poll of adults. In these economically tough times, they tend to be older, less educated, conservative and supporters of Republican presidential candidate John McCain.

"Things go in cycles. Even when things are at their worst, there's still an upturn" afterward, said Paula Fortin, 63, a retired bank supervisor from Marysville, Wash., who said in the survey that things are going the right way. "We're still living at a higher level than most other countries in the world."

Since last fall, the AP-Yahoo News poll, conducted by Knowledge Networks, has tracked how the same group of about 2,000 voters has reacted to the presidential campaign and other events.

Just last month, nearly three in 10 said the country was on the right course. That figure has declined sharply, tracking the catastrophic financial problems of recent weeks and widespread expectations of a serious recession.

"We're faltering a little bit," said Tom Waters, 24, a sales trainer from Brooklyn, N.Y. "But America has proven itself when things were more serious. I know times can be tough, but we'll find our way again."

The poll shows a relationship between people's views of the country and their own lives. Sixty-nine percent of those saying the U.S. is heading the right way report being happy in their own lives, while 52 percent of those sensing the country is on the wrong track are happy personally.

In addition, 41 percent of right-track people report difficulties getting ahead financially these days — compared with 68 percent of wrong-track people.

"For us personally, things are going very well," said Hilary Smith, 29, a substitute teacher from Mattoon, Ill., who owns some rental properties with her husband and sees the country heading the right way. "My parents always say that we're the exception to the rule, but we're very hard workers."

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