Most Americans say country is heading in wrong direction, poll finds

article

Photographer: Graeme Sloan/Bloomberg via Getty Images

A new poll shows that a growing partisan divide has left Americans deeply pessimistic about the nation’s direction, with Democrats now far more likely than Republicans to say the country is on the wrong track — a dramatic reversal from 2024.

Methodology:

 Public Religion Research Institute conductd the survey with support from the Carnegie Corporation of New York, the Ford Foundation, and the Unitarian Universalist Veatch Program at Shelter Rock, included a nationally representative sample of 5,955 adults from all 50 states. Interviews were conducted online from August 15 to September 8, 2025.

President Trump hosts Senate Republicans amid shutdown

President Donald Trump hosted Senate Republicans at the White House. Trump greeted lawmakers in the Rose Garden on Tuesday. Senator Majority Leader Thune (R-SD) addressed the party as well.

By the numbers:

• Most Americans (62%) say the country is headed in the wrong direction, including 92% of Democrats, 71% of independents, and 24% of Republicans — a sharp partisan flip from 2024.
• The partisan divide on the country’s direction is at a record high — a 68-point gap between Democrats and Republicans, up from 31 points in 2011.
• Majorities say key areas are off track, including the economy (65%), government functioning (65%), immigration (57%), and foreign policy (60%). Republicans are far more positive on these issues than Democrats or independents.

Poll shows Trump gains on foreign policy but struggles on economy, health care

By the numbers:

More U.S. adults support President Donald Trump’s handling of the conflict in Israel after he brokered a ceasefire deal in Gaza, a new AP-NORC poll finds — but his approval ratings on domestic issues remain weak.

The survey from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research reveals that Trump’s apparent success on the world stage has not yet improved his overall standing at home. In interviews, even some of his voters said he needs to do more to address issues such as the economy, health care and immigration.

The poll was conducted Oct. 9-13, before the hostages and prisoners were freed in Israel, but after the ceasefire deal was announced. The tenuous ceasefire in Gaza has held this week even as major questions remain about the U.S. plan for the region and whether the peace can be sustained.

Israeli govt. briefing amid Gaza ceasefire

Israeli government spokesperson Shosh Bedrosian holds a briefing.

At the same time, Trump faces major hurdles at home with a U.S. government shutdown now in its third week, prices remaining too high for many Americans and millions more impacted by health care cuts and hospital closures.

In the new poll, about 4 in 10 U.S. adults approve of the way Trump is handling his job as president overall, unchanged from September.

About 4 in 10 U.S. adults approve of the way Trump is handling immigration, which is in line with his September measure, but down slightly from the beginning of his second term.

On the economy, the chief concern for many, only about one-third of U.S. adults approve of Trump’s performance. The figure has stayed steady throughout his second term.

One of Trump’s weakest issues is health care, a topic that’s taken center stage during the ongoing government shutdown.

About 3 in 10 U.S. adults approve of Trump’s leadership on health care, in line with September. Almost all Democrats disapprove of his work on health care, but so do about 8 in 10 independents and about one-third of Republicans.