Poll: Majority of Americans Believe Obama Has Changed America...But Only 35% Say For the Better

Barack Obama has seemingly succeeded in changing (or "fundamentally transforming," to use his words) the United States of America, but according to a poll released Monday by The Hill, a majority of Americans are not pleased with the result.

The Hill has more information:

A new poll for The Hill found 56 percent of likely voters believe Obama’s first term has transformed the nation in a negative way, compared to 35 percent who believe the country has changed for the better under his leadership.

The results signal broad voter unease with the direction the nation has taken under Obama’s leadership and present a major challenge for the incumbent Democrat as he seeks reelection this fall.

Conducted for The Hill by Pulse Opinion Research, the poll comes in the wake of last month’s Supreme Court decision that upheld the primary elements of Obama’s signature healthcare legislation.

It found 68 percent of likely voters — regardless of whether they approve or disapprove of Obama — believe the president has substantially transformed the country since his 2009 inauguration.

While it is not altogether surprising that 91% of self-identified Republicans believe the president has taken us down the wrong path, a shocking 1-in-5 Democrats also agreed with the assessment.

Take a look at one of the provided graphs for a breakdown and exact wording:

When asked about the presumptive Republican nominee Mitt Romney, only 50% thought Mitt Romney would bring "significant" change to the country, though the wording is ambiguous as to whether people want to change back from Obama's reforms, or continue along with the "fundamental transformation."

"Regardless of whether you approve or disapprove of him, would Mitt Romney significantly change America?" likely voters were asked.

However, an overwhelming majority — 89 percent — saw the choice between Mitt Romney and Barack Obama as being "important" for the future of the country.

Similarly, almost half of the people interviewed (47%), said that they were paying more attention to the current election than they did in 2008.

Conducted on July 5 among 1,000 likely voters, the poll reportedly has a margin of error of 3 percentage points.

Though the health care ruling was likely at the forefront of everyone's minds at the time, the administration has implemented significant changes over the past few years.  A few from just the past several months include Obama's endorsement of gay marriage, psued0-immigration reform, and a realization that 8.2% unemployment may not be going away anytime soon.

Click here to download the rest of the poll statistics.