Are You Optimistic or Pessimistic About the U.S. System of Government?

Oct. 26, 2010— -- With little time left before voters head to the polls to fulfill their civic duty, there's evidence that Americans are more frustrated with the entire system of government than they have been in years.

According to a new ABC News/Yahoo! News poll, optimism in the country's system of government has dropped to a 36-year low. Just 33 percent of Americans now say they're optimistic about "our system of government and how well it works," compared to 55 percent in 1974, shortly after Richard Nixon resigned from the White House.

Three-quarters of Americans say that the United States is "the greatest country in the world," but even that figure has dropped from 88 percent when the same question was asked in 1984.

So, we want to know the reasoning behind the poll numbers. Our question to you today: Are you optimistic or pessimistic about the U.S. system of government and why?

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