One of the United States’ monikers might be the “Land of the Free,” but you wouldn’t know this if you read the latest Gallup poll. Pollsters asked people in more than 120 countries whether or not they were satisfied with the amount of freedom they had in their lives. The end result was quite shocking if you’ve been led to believe that America is the freest country in the world.
As reported on July 1st, the numbers indicate that Americans feel that there’s a lot left to be desired. In just seven short years, the number of Americans who reported that they were satisfied with their freedom dropped 12%, from 91% to 79%. Consequently, the number of Americans who reported that they were completely dissatisfied with their freedom rose from a small 9% up to 21%.
This put the United States all of the way down to number 36 in the list of the countries with the highest levels of satisfaction with freedom in 2013. New Zealand topped this list, followed by Australia, Cambodia, Sweden and the United Arab Emirates. The United States failed to make the top quarter percentile as it had done previously.
The drop also put the United States in the top ten for the largest decline in confidence since the last poll was taken in 2006. While many of the other countries in this auspicious grouping have experienced major economic collapses to cause the rift in confidence, responses indicate that Americans’ attitudes towards the economy are improving. Therefore, something else must be at play here…
In another poll released a day before, Americans’ confidence in all three branches of government has reached a 6-year low. 30% of Americans have faith in the courts, 29% have confidence in the President and only a paltry 7% trust Congress to do their jobs. Our perception that we might not be the “Land of the Free” anymore might directly be attributed to the fact that we don’t have trust in our government.
While it’s impossible to say what the future holds in how we’re governed, it’s clear that self-reliance must be the top on any American’s priority list. Therefore, it’s imperative to prepare and protect your family anyway you can, and this starts with a proper emergency preparedness kit. With confidence waning and our personal liberties at stake, it’s important to have the basics, including a long-term food solution, clean water, and basic tools.
We encourage all of our customers to check out our inventory of emergency preparedness goods and supplies to ensure your safety and protection in the event of a natural disaster, long-term unemployment, terrorism or another economic downturn.
