Thirty percent of Americans are satisfied with conditions in the United States, according to a poll released by Gallup Wednesday. The number -- which, as Gallup points out, is "low in an absolute sense" -- but represents the highest mark since August 2009, when it stood at 36 percent. It's also a marked increase from the 11 percent mark reached during the debt-ceiling crisis in mid-summer 2011. From the report:

Democrats are driving the rise in satisfaction this year, not surprising given that an incumbent Democratic president is seeking re-election. The Sept. 6-9 Gallup poll, conducted the final day of the Democratic National Convention and the first three days after it, shows satisfaction among Democrats surpassing the majority level. A small fraction of Republicans, 7%, say they are satisfied, as do 25% of independents.

The PollTracker Average currently shows that 38.4 percent of people believe America is moving in the right direction, while 55.8 percent believe it is not.