On October 22, 2025, the Public Religion Research Institute (PRRI), in partnership with the Brookings Institution, released its 16th annual American Values Survey, shining a spotlight on the deepening divides in American public opinion during President Donald Trump’s second term. The survey, conducted online with a representative sample of 5,543 adults across all 50 states (and an additional 412 participants), offers a sweeping portrait of how Americans perceive Trump’s leadership, the nation’s direction, and the very meaning of being “truly American.”
Perhaps the most striking finding is that 56% of Americans now see President Trump as a “dangerous dictator whose power should be limited before he destroys American democracy.” This marks an uptick from 52% in March 2025, suggesting that concerns about executive overreach are intensifying. In contrast, 41% of Americans view Trump as a “strong leader who should be given the power he needs to restore America’s greatness.” As PRRI President Robert P. Jones put it, “Amid unprecedented actions, most Americans, including political independents, believe the Trump administration has gone too far. A growing majority of Americans, including two-thirds of independents, now view the president as a dangerous dictator, but most Republicans continue to approve of Trump’s actions.”
These divisions run deep along party lines. An overwhelming 91% of Democrats and 65% of independents now see Trump as a dangerous dictator, compared to just 15% of Republicans. Conversely, 82% of Republicans see Trump as a strong leader, a view shared by majorities of white Christian groups, including 73% of white evangelicals. By contrast, Christians of color, members of other religions, and the religiously unaffiliated overwhelmingly view Trump as a dangerous dictator, according to the survey. The Brookings Institution’s E.J. Dionne Jr. and Bill Galston, who contributed to the survey’s analysis, note that “majorities of Republicans and white evangelical Protestants continue to back President Trump and many of his most extreme policies, but most other Americans hold unfavorable views of Trump and believe he has ‘gone too far.’”
Trump’s favorability ratings reflect this polarization. Only 40% of Americans hold a favorable view of Trump, while 58% view him unfavorably. Notably, 46% hold “very unfavorable” views, compared to just 20% with “very favorable” opinions. Among independents, only 30% view Trump favorably, and among Democrats, the number plummets to 5%. Meanwhile, 85% of Republicans express a favorable opinion of the president. The survey also reveals a shift among Hispanic Americans, whose favorability toward Trump has dropped from 39% to 30% since March.
When it comes to policy, majorities of Americans believe the Trump administration has overstepped in several key areas. Sixty percent say cuts in federal funding for health care have gone too far, while 55% say the same about cuts to universities and research institutions. Fifty-four percent oppose the implementation of new tariffs, and 52% believe increased funding for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has crossed the line. On these issues, independents’ views are more closely aligned with Democrats than Republicans. For instance, 90% of Democrats and 67% of independents say cuts to programs like Medicaid, Medicare, and the Affordable Care Act have gone too far, compared to just 25% of Republicans.
Immigration policy remains a flashpoint. The survey found that 58% of Americans oppose allowing ICE officers to conceal their identity with masks or use unmarked vehicles during arrests, a practice that has drawn intense scrutiny. This opposition is strongest among Democrats (84%) and independents (64%), but only 31% of Republicans share this view. Similarly, 58% of Americans oppose building internment camps for undocumented immigrants, including 86% of Democrats and 64% of independents, but just 29% of Republicans are opposed. Even more stark, nearly two-thirds of Americans (65%) reject the idea of deporting undocumented immigrants to foreign prisons in countries such as El Salvador, Rwanda, or Libya without allowing them to challenge their deportation in court. Support for such practices is concentrated among Republicans and white evangelical Protestants.
Beyond the headline-grabbing policy disputes, the survey delved into Americans’ sense of national identity. Across party lines, overwhelming majorities say that believing in individual freedoms (93%), the Constitution (91%), accepting diverse backgrounds (89%), the Declaration of Independence (88%), respecting institutions and laws (88%), and speaking English (75%) are important to being “truly American.” However, Republicans are more likely than independents or Democrats to say that belief in God (78% of Republicans versus 57% of all Americans), being Christian (68% versus 43%), or having ancestors who served in the military (55% versus 42%) are essential to American identity. Only 23% of Americans say being of Western European heritage is important for national identity.
Political discontent is widespread. Majorities of Americans view both major parties unfavorably: 60% for Democrats and 57% for Republicans. While 86% of Republicans still hold favorable views of their own party—a figure unchanged since 2012—only 76% of Democrats feel the same, down significantly from 93% in 2012. Independents’ favorability toward both parties has dropped by 15 percentage points over the past decade. Among independents who view the Democratic Party unfavorably, 47% say it is because the party is too extreme and left-wing, while 28% fault it for not fighting hard enough against Trump. For the Republican Party, 56% of independents cite extremism and being too right-wing, and 59% say the party is too deferential to Trump.
This sense of alienation is palpable. Nearly half of Americans (46%) agree that “things have changed so much that I often feel like a stranger in my own country,” a sentiment now more common among Democrats (59%) than Republicans (30%)—a reversal from patterns observed since 2016. American pride has also eroded: only half of respondents say they are extremely or very proud to be American, down from 82% in 2013. Pride remains highest among Republicans (80%), compared with 46% of independents and just 31% of Democrats.
On broader issues, 65% of Americans believe the economy and the way the federal government is functioning are headed in the wrong direction. Sixty percent say the country’s approach to dealing with other nations is off track, and 57% are dissatisfied with how undocumented immigration is being handled. Only 28% approve of Trump’s handling of the controversy over the Epstein files.
Concerns about free speech are also on the rise. Sixty-nine percent of Americans agree that “the ability of Americans to freely criticize the government without fear of punishment is a right that seems less protected than in previous years,” a view shared by majorities of Democrats (86%), independents (73%), and Republicans (54%). Meanwhile, 70% of Americans reject the idea that the federal government should control student admissions, faculty hiring, and curriculum at U.S. colleges and universities to prevent the teaching of inappropriate material.
Despite these divides, Americans remain largely united in rejecting the notion that the gains women have made in recent years come at the expense of men—three in four dismiss this idea. And while 42% agree that society has become too soft and feminine, 54% disagree, reflecting the nation’s ongoing debate about cultural change and gender roles.
As the country heads deeper into President Trump’s second term, the latest American Values Survey makes clear that Americans are wrestling not only with the policies of the moment, but with fundamental questions about democracy, identity, and what it means to belong. The numbers tell a story of a nation at a crossroads, searching for common ground even as the ground itself seems to shift beneath their feet.
