A new national survey reveals that a majority of Americans predict a dismal future for  the United States.

In a poll conducted by AP-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research, over 54 percent of Americans say that the country will slide in the next 36 years. Just 1 in every 6 foresees a better future for the U.S, the survey found.

Nearly same percentage of those surveyed said that the life in the U.S. became worse than it was four decades ago. The researchers told respondents to rate American life from 1972 to 2012.

The Associated Press reported that even those belonging to ethnic and racial minorities group predicted a grim future. "Changes will come, and some of them are scary," 22-year-old sports grad Kelly Miller of University of Minnesota told the news agency.

The poll found that just 23 percent were optimistic about a brighter future for the United States. and only 21 percent believed that life will remain the same.

Just 3 in 10 Americans said that computers and other technology made their life better today. The survey found that racial and ethnic minorities were more likely to voice domestic issues like civil rights.

The AP reported that in 1972, around 4 in 10 non-blacks stated that the whites had the right to keep blacks "out of their neighborhoods."Nearly a quarter of non-blacks said they would not vote for a black man for president, and 26 percent of the adults will not support a well-qualified woman."

But now the scene has changed. The country has a black president and women are heading some organisations.

Even though a majority of the people predicted a dark future for the U.S., 9 out of 10 people said that they were happy now.