When was America great? Nobody can agree

Donald Trump’s campaign slogan is “Make America Great Again.” His supporters, it turns out, disagree on when that was.

The slogan evokes a time when America was stronger and more prosperous. But Trump doesn’t specify whether he’s expressing nostalgia for the 1950s — or 10 years ago. That vagueness is reflected by his voters, according to the results of a new survey, conducted online by the digital media and polling company Morning Consult.

When asked to select America’s greatest year, Trump supporters offered a wide range of answers, with no distinct pattern. The most popular choice was the year 2000. But 1955, 1960, 1970 and 1985 were also popular.

We asked the Trump campaign to name America’s greatest year, but we haven’t heard back.

Other polls have asked Americans whether they prefer the past to the present. In March, Pew asked people whether life was better for people like them 50 years ago — and a majority of Republicans answered yes.

Democrats, though, were less enthusiastic about the past. Forty-eight per cent said life was better now than it was 50 years ago. Political science research suggests that Americans’ optimism can be influenced by whether their political party is in the White House. So it’s perhaps not surprising that Democrats feel better than Republicans about current circumstances. So, when was the greatest year? Overall, 2000 was the most popular choice in the Morning Consult poll, a preference that cut across political party, candidate preference, gender and age. The year’s popularity may partly reflect people’s fondness for round numbers. But many voters explained their choice by referring to a greater sense of security. The Sept. 11 attacks occurred the following year.

Republicans, overall, recall the late 1950s and the mid-1980s most fondly. Sample explanations: “Reagan.” “Economy was booming.” “No wars!” “Life was simpler.” “Strong family values.”

As a group, Democrats seem to think America’s greatest days were more recent; they were more likely to pick a year in the 1990s, or since 2000. Even 2008, a year of financial collapse, was pretty popular, perhaps because U.S. President Barack Obama was also elected that year.