Gallup editor in chief Frank Newport asks: "Just how dissatisfied are Americans?" Newport's answer: It depends on what you are talking about. If you are talking about how satisfied Americans are with the state of the nation, the answer is: not much. Only 27 percent of respondents report being satisfied with the state of things in the Gallup poll. The record low, Newport writes, was 12 percent satisfaction with the country recorded in July 1979. Yet Americans' personal satisfaction is relatively high, standing at 84 percent in the Gallup poll, just three points below the all-time record 87 percent satisfaction recorded several times over the last 20 years. Newport warns the presidential candidates not to take their "change" messages too far, as these data suggest it's unclear just how much change Americans really want. But what's interesting about this piece is the vast disparity between public perceptions of the nation and of personal status. The world is going to hell in a handbasket; overall things are pretty swell for me right now. It's enough to make you think that voters can be irrational.