Remember that polls are a measure – mostly – of the effectiveness of propaganda. Much media and social media messaging is about doom, gloom and outrage even though life is, on average, among the best of times in history. This creates a warped perspective where we only see the bad and miss all that is working well. Thus, among the best of times, “satisfaction” polls at a low level.

Source: Mentions of Government as Top U.S. Problem Near Record High