Most in US see nation on wrong track: Report

Two-thirds of people in the United States believe the economy and the nation's dealings with other countries are headed in the wrong direction, and a majority say the new US tariffs on imported goods have gone too far, according to a national survey released on Wednesday.

The 16th annual American Values Survey, conducted by the Public Religion Research Institute, or PRRI, and the Brookings Institution, reveals ongoing unease about the country's direction, though pessimism has slightly decreased from last year.

Speaking at the launch event at Brookings, PRRI President and Founder Robert Jones said the survey was conducted among 5,500 adults between August and September to gauge how US citizens responded to the first nine months of US President Donald Trump's second term.

The poll went beyond asking US citizens whether the country overall is headed in the right or wrong direction. Researchers also examined specific areas including how the federal government functions, the state of the economy, US relations with other countries and immigration policy.

Roughly six in 10 (62 percent) of those surveyed say things in the country are going in the wrong direction, down from 70 percent in 2024, according to the survey.

Divided views

Views remain deeply divided along partisan lines, as 92 percent of Democrats say the country is going the wrong way, compared with 24 percent of Republicans. Independents are split, with 71 percent agreeing.

"There's some ups and downs, ebbs and flows, but it's a pretty steady stream of thinking — 'yeah, no, things are not going well in the country,' even through different Democratic and Republican constituencies," Jones said.

Regarding the economy, about 65 percent of US citizens say it's going in the wrong direction, while 33 percent say it's going the right way — a slightly more positive outlook than last year's 69-29 split.

Again, partisans view the economy through very different lenses, with 91 percent of Democrats and 74 percent of independents seeing it headed the wrong way, compared with 29 percent of Republicans.

On foreign affairs, six in 10 US citizens say US relations with other countries are going in the wrong direction, while 38 percent say the nation is on the right track. Republicans are distinctly upbeat (77 percent right direction) compared with just 30 percent of independents and 10 percent of Democrats.

Likewise, a majority (63 percent) of the respondents say US global standing has changed for the worse since the beginning of the year, while one-third (34 percent) say it has improved.

"Amid unprecedented actions, most Americans, including political independents, believe the Trump administration has gone too far," Jones said.

On trade, for example, more than half of the respondents (54 percent) say "the implementation of new tariffs on imported goods has gone too far", while 35 percent say the change seems about right and 7 percent say it has not gone far enough.

A majority of US citizens say that the Trump administration's cuts in federal funding for healthcare (60 percent) and universities and research institutions (55 percent), and the increase in funding for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (52 percent) have gone too far, according to the survey.

Also, most US citizens say that American culture and way of life have mostly changed for the worse since the 1950s (55 percent), while 43 percent say it has mostly changed for the better.

huanxinzhao@chinadailyusa.com