As the fall election season takes shape, voters say the country is on the wrong track by 24 points. Yet when asked whether they feel optimistic or pessimistic about America’s future, that deficit shrinks to just four points. That 20-point gap is telling. Americans are disgusted with the division of our politics, but they have not given up on their country.

They believe politicians and elected leaders are the primary ones responsible for the country’s future, more than double those who said the primary driver is the values and culture we pass on to the next generation. One theory lives inside political institutions. The other lives outside of them.