In their 16th annual American Values Survey, the Public Religion Research Institute made some major revelations about the American public.
In understanding just how deep America’s political divides are, they found:
- 62% of Americans say the country is going in the wrong direction — but for the first time, Democrats (92%) are far more pessimistic than Republicans (24%).
- 56% describe President Donald Trump as a “dangerous dictator whose power should be limited,” while 41% call him a strong leader.
- 55% say Trump’s changes to government are an “assault on constitutional checks and balances.”
- Three-quarters of Americans (75%) support term limits for Supreme Court justices, including two-thirds of Republicans.
- Pride in being American has fallen to 50%, down from 82% in 2013.
- Cultural alienation has flipped: Democrats (59%) are now more likely than Republicans (30%) to say they feel like “strangers in their own country.”
- Cost of living is the only issue a majority (59%) call “critical,” showing rare bipartisan alignment.
On Friday’s edition of “Closer Look with Rose Scott,” we learn more about the Public Religion Research Institute’s study with CEO Melissa Deckman.
Read this story now for free
To continue reading, sign up for our newsletter and get unlimited access to WABE.org
You can select your preferences for news and local content. We will never share your email address. Learn how your newsletter sign-up will support WABE and Public Media
