Fifty-two percent (52%) of voters feel that America’s best days are in the past, according to the latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey. This marks the highest level of voter pessimism in two years and is up 13 points from a year ago when Barack Obama was elected president.

Thirty-five percent (35%) feel the nation's best days are still to come, down 13 points since President Obama’s inauguration in January.

Fifty percent (50%) of Democrats believe America’s best days are in the future compared to just 22% of Republicans and 28% of unaffiliated voters. A majority of GOP and unaffiliated voters feel America’s glory days are behind us.

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Sixty-seven percent (67%) of voters view U.S. society as generally fair and decent, up seven points from the previous survey in early October. Twenty-three percent (23%) of all voters see American society as basically unfair and discriminatory. This number has remained fairly consistent since last year.

The latest survey was conducted just after the president signed into law "hate crime" legislation that adds sexual orientation to other protected categories including race, color, religion and national origin. Forty-nine percent (49%) of Americans feel criminals should be prosecuted more severely if it can be proved that their crime was motivated by the victim’s race, color, religion, national origin or sexual orientation. Thirty-one percent (31%) disagree.

Voters are evenly divided on whether Obama views U.S. society as fair and decent or unfair and discriminatory. Fourteen percent (14%) are not sure how the president feels.

White voters tend to view society as fair and decent more than African-American voters, 72% to 51%.

Sixty-two percent (62%) prefer a smaller government with fewer services and lower taxes, while just 25% favor a more active government with more services and higher taxes. These numbers have remained largely unchanged for several years.

When it comes to foreign policy, 58% feel that our allies should do what the United States wants more often, while just 12% say it would be better for America to do what its allies want. Twenty-four percent (24%) say neither is true.

An overwhelming majority (75%) continue to say people who move to the United States should adopt America's culture and language. Thirteen percent (13%) feel newcomers should try to maintain the culture of their native country.

Thirty-four percent (34%) of voters now say the United States is heading in the right direction. The percentage of voters who feel this way has remained in the narrow range of 31% to 35% since late June.

Only 29% expect the United States to be the world’s most powerful nation by the end of the 21st century, down 10 points from the first of the year. Thirty-nine percent (39%) say America will not be number one, and another 33% are undecided.

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