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What's wrong--and what's right--about America today? Everett Carll Ladd and Karlyn Bowman listen as Americans answer those questions in this indispensable guide to the mood of the country. Using survey data, the authors check America's vital signs: they explore its promise and its problems, its hopes and expectations, its ideals and fears. In many areas, Americans are satisfied and confident. The foundations of our constitutional system are strong. The core values that have defined the nation remain firmly in place. Opportunity is present for us and our children.

In other areas, Americans see many problems in the country today. The federal government is not working well. The moral dimension of national life leaves us deeply troubled. The performance of many institutions falls far short of the ideal.

What's Wrong contains data from hundreds of public opinion surveys conducted over the past sixty years, distilled in easy-to-read tables. This valuable handbook is essential for anyone wanting to understand Americans and America today.

Everett Carll Ladd is the director of the Institute for Social Inquiry at the University of Connecticut. Karlyn H. Bowman is a resident fellow at AEI.