Call it the Biden effect.

A new Gallup poll shows Americans entering the new year with great pessimism about their country, the prospects for peace and prosperity, and their government’s ability to control crime, inflation and deficit spending.

Gallup summed up the poll like this: “Americans enter 2023 with a mostly gloomy outlook for the U.S. as majorities predict negative conditions in 12 of 13 economic, political, societal and international arenas.”

The poll surveyed 1,803 people on whether they had a negative or positive outlook on a host of pressing issues. Gallup states:

“When offered opposing outcomes on each issue, about eight in 10 U.S. adults think 2023 will be a year of economic difficulty with higher rather than lower taxes and a growing rather than shrinking budget deficit. More than six in 10 think prices will rise at a high rate and the stock market will fall in the year ahead, both of which happened in 2022.”

Although 85 percent of those polled said the world is headed for international discord, as opposed to less conflict, there was one silver lining in the poll:  64 percent of Americans believe Russia’s power will decline in 2023, while only 35 percent said Russia’s power will grow.

On the other hand, 73 percent said “China will increase its power in the world,” while only 26 percent said it would decline. Contrast that with their gloomy assessment of American power: a meager 35 percent said it would increase, while 65 percent said it would decline.

Other interesting findings:

• 79 percent of those surveyed said 2023 would be a year of “economic difficulty,” compared to just 20 percent who said it would a year of “economic prosperity”;
• A whopping 90 percent of those polled said this nation is headed for a “year of political conflict” versus 10 percent who predicted peace;
• 72 percent said crime rates would rise, and 28 percent said they would fall;
• Inflation? 65 percent of those polled say prices will rise at a “high rate” this year, compared to 35 percent who believe they will rise at a “reasonable rate”;
•  81 percent of those polled said taxes will rise this year, while 18 percent said taxes will fall.

Gallup surveyed 1,803 adults December 5-19, 2022, and reported a “margin of sampling error at +/- 3 percentage points at the 95 percent confidence level.”