Seven in ten Americans — but less than half of Republicans and white evangelicals — prefer the United States to cooperate with other nations rather than use military force

June 17, 2026 - WASHINGTON -  A new national survey released today by Public Religion Research Institute (PRRI) finds that Americans are more than twice as likely to agree that “We are in real danger of losing important democratic rights and freedoms” than “the important democratic rights and freedoms we have will remain protected” (68% vs. 29%). Most Democrats (86%) and independents (70%) agree with the first statement, while Republicans are divided (51% vs. 47%).

“The fact that nearly seven in ten Americans believe we are in danger of losing critical rights and freedoms should set off alarm bells,” explained PRRI CEO Melissa Deckman, Ph.D. “The partisan divide on this question represents a profound threat to the democratic experiment at 250.”

Americans are far more likely to say they would prefer “the U.S. to be a reliable neighbor that cooperates with other nations and only uses military force as a last resort” than “the U.S. to be known as a mighty nation that does not hesitate to use military force to defend our interests” (70% vs. 27%). However, a slim majority of Republicans agree with the second statement (52%), and white evangelical Protestants are evenly divided (52% vs. 47%). Solid majorities across all other religious groups prefer the U.S. to cooperate with other nations.

“Americans overwhelmingly want a nation that embraces pluralism at home and behaves as a good global neighbor abroad,” said Robert P. Jones, Ph.D., president and founder of PRRI. “On measure after measure, we find Republicans and white evangelicals embracing stances that are aligned with President Trump’s MAGA agenda but increasingly at odds with their fellow Americans.”

At home, most Americans remain committed to a vision of America that is religiously and racially diverse. Nearly two-thirds of Americans prefer the U.S. to be a nation made up of people belonging to a wide variety of religions rather than one primarily made up of people who follow the Christian faith (64% vs. 34%). White evangelical Protestants and Republicans are outliers, preferring to live in a nation primarily made up of Christians (68% and 60% respectively). Nearly eight in ten Americans prefer the U.S. to be a nation made up of people from all over the world (77%) rather than one primarily made up of people of Western European heritage (20%).

Nearly six in ten Americans agree “President Trump is a dangerous dictator whose power should be limited before he destroys American democracy” (59%), up from 52% in March 2025, compared with 38% who agree “President Trump is a strong leader who should be given the power he needs to restore America’s greatness.” Most Democrats (91%, up from 87% in March 2025) and independents (66%, up from 56% in March 2025) agree with the first statement, while most Republicans agree with the second statement (78%, down from 81% in March 2025).

More Americans hold favorable views of Pope Leo XIV than President Trump (56% vs. 34%). Democrats (73% vs. 5%) and independents (55% vs. 25%) are more likely to view Pope Leo more favorably than Trump, while the reverse is true among Republicans (47% vs. 79%). Among religious Americans, white Catholics are nearly 30 points more likely to hold favorable views of Pope Leo (75%) than Trump (46%), and Latino Catholics are more than 40 points more likely to hold favorable views of Pope Leo (64%) than Trump (23%).

Trump’s favorability has declined from 41% before the 2024 election to 34%, with 62% of Americans now viewing him unfavorably. Trump’s favorability remains high among strong Republicans (91%), but has declined among those who are not very strong Republicans (70% to 63% ) and independents who lean Republican (65% to 48%).

Less than four in ten Americans rate Trump’s handling of immigration favorably (37%), and only three in ten hold favorable views of Trump’s handling of the war in Iran (29%).

Other notable findings:

• Americans are divided on whether the American Dream — that if you work hard, you’ll get ahead — still holds true (49% agree vs. 50% disagree). Since 2024, confidence in the American Dream has declined 6 points, with a sharp 14-point decline among young Americans ages 18-29 (from 50% to 36%).
• Just half of Americans are extremely or very proud of being an American (51%) or of America’s 250-year history (49%). Only one in five are very proud of the way democracy is working today (18%).
• Less than half of Americans are extremely or very proud of America’s economic achievements (34%) and America’s moral example for the world (24%).
• 44% of Americans agree that God has granted America a special role in human history, down from a high of 64% in 2013.
• Six in ten Americans agree that America is in danger of losing its culture and identity (60%, up from 55% in 2016).
• Americans are divided on whether the values of Islam are at odds with American values and the American way of life (50% agree; 46% disagree). Since 2011, Republicans have grown more likely to agree (from 63% to 76%), and Democrats less likely to do so (40% to 30%).

Methodology

The survey was designed and conducted by PRRI.  The survey was made possible through the generous support of the Ford Foundation, the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, and the Unitarian Universalist Veatch Program at Shelter Rock.

The survey was conducted among a representative sample of 5,469 adults (age 18 and up) living in all 50 states in the United States. Of those respondents, 5,140 were part of Ipsos’s Knowledge Panel and an additional 329 who were recruited by Ipsos using opt-in survey panels to increase the sample sizes in smaller states. Interviews were conducted online between May 1-18, 2026.  The margin of error for the national survey is +/- 1.53 percentage points at the 95% level of confidence, including the design effect for the survey of 1.34. In addition to sampling error, surveys may also be subject to error or bias due to question wording, context, and order effects. Additional details about the KnowledgePanel can be found on the Ipsos website:  https://www.ipsos.com/en-us/solution/knowledgepanel.

About PRRI

PRRI is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, nonpartisan organization dedicated to conducting independent research at the intersection of religion, culture, and public policy.

Source: PRRI