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NEW YORK (AP) — A poll finds that Americans are hopeful that things are going to get better for the country in 2017 after a year filled with wrenching politics, foreign conflicts and mass shootings. The annual New Year's poll by The Associated Press and the Times Square Alliance found that 55 percent of Americans polled believe 2017 will be better for them personally. That's a 12-point improvement from last year's poll. About a third of people answering the poll said things were worse for the country in 2016 than they had been in 2015. Only 18 percent said things got better. The poll of 1,007 adults was conducted online Dec. 9-11, with a margin of error of plus or minus 3 percentage points.

AP New Year's poll: Americans hopeful for a better 2017