Read the full Gallup poll

Since many pollsters seem to be taking a brief breather from the horse race following Saturday’s contests, it’s a chance to report on one of those polls that provide a snapshot on how Americans are viewing the state of the country. In a survey conducted earlier this month, Gallup found that 6 in 10 Americans believe now is a bad time to find a “quality” job. “This is up 13 percentage points from January 2007 and is the highest percentage since early December 2005, when 60 percent of Americans also held this view of the job market, ” according to Gallup. The polling organization added that given the pressures brought about an election year, it was not surprising that Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke testified on Capitol Hill in favor of an immediate short-term fiscal stimulus plan.