Americans’ optimism about the direction of the country has dropped nearly 20 points, according to the latest ABC News/Ipsos poll. Currently, 45 percent of those surveyed are optimistic about where the country is headed over the next year, while 55 percent are pessimistic. This marked a nearly 20-point decline in optimism from late April, the last time this question was asked. At that time, 64 percent were optimistic about the year ahead. This growing pessimism is happening across all age groups, income levels, educational attainment, and partisan affiliation, the survey showed. The decline is also occurring across the board among Democrats, Republicans, and independents. This poll was conducted on July 23-24 based on a nationally representative probability sample of 527 general population adults aged 18 or older.