Most Americans say things are going in the wrong direction in the US and that Trump is 'rather a dangerous dictator'

Most Americans are pessimistic about the country's direction and disapprove of the federal government and President Donald Trump, a poll released about a year before the U.S. midterm elections shows.

Six in ten Americans (62%) believe things are going in the wrong direction in the US, with a majority of Democrats (92%) and independents (71%) agreeing, but only 24% of Republicans, according to an annual survey of American values ​​by the Public Religion Research Institute (PRRI) in collaboration with the Brookings Institution.

In 2024, 94% of Republicans, 70% of independents and 41% of Democrats said the same.

Majorities of Americans also say the economy (65%) and the way the federal government operates (65%) or the way it treats undocumented immigrants (57%) are headed in the wrong direction.

A majority of Americans (60%) also say the way the US treats other countries is heading in the wrong direction.

Republicans rate these areas much more favorably than Democrats and independents.

The analysis of American dissatisfaction confirms other similar surveys

The results are similar to those of other major polls: An AP-NORC poll released this week found that 69 percent of Americans believe the country is headed in the wrong direction, and 30 percent believe it is headed in the right direction.

A Gallup poll last month found that 67 percent of Americans are dissatisfied with the way things are going in the U.S., and 29 percent are satisfied.

The survey, notes the website Axios, provides a picture of the state of discontent in the US about a year before the 2026 midterm elections.

PRRI's annual survey is relevant because it takes a detailed look at the values ​​and moods of Americans across a vast sample that spans all races and religions.

Most Americans disapprove of Trump's work

The PRRI poll also shows that most Americans disapprove of Donald Trump's performance as president (56%).

A majority of Republicans still approve (86 percent), compared to 32 percent of independents and just 8 percent of Democrats.

About four in ten Americans approve of Trump's performance on border management (44%), immigration (43%), the economy (39%) and foreign policy (39%).

A majority of Republicans approve (about eight in ten) of how they are handling these issues, compared to much smaller numbers of independents (about a third) and Democrats (about one in ten).

About half of white Americans (48%) have a favorable opinion of the president, compared to just 16% of black Americans and three in ten Hispanic and AAPI Americans.

Trump's popularity among Hispanic Americans dropped from 39% in 2024 to 30%.

Rather a “dangerous dictator”

The analysis also shows that more Americans think Trump is a “dangerous dictator” than a “strong leader,” although opinions vary widely by political affiliation and religion.

Specifically, most Americans agree that “President Trump is a dangerous dictator whose power should be limited before he destroys American democracy” (56%), up from 52% in March 2025, compared to 41% who say “Trump is a strong leader who should be given the power he needs to restore America's greatness.”

A majority of Democrats (91%) and independents (65%) agree with the first statement, while a majority of Republicans agree with the second statement (82%).

Seven in ten white evangelicals (73%) agree that Trump is a strong leader, as do 54% of white traditional Protestants and 55% of white Catholics.

In contrast, most other religious groups view Trump as more of a dangerous dictator, including 53 percent of Hispanic Protestants.

“An attack on the constitutional balance”

The poll also shows that a majority of Americans agree that “What President Trump is doing to the federal government is an attack on constitutional balance and the rule of law” (54%), compared to 43% who agree that “What President Trump is doing to the federal government is a long-overdue correction of the disastrous policies promoted by elites at the expense of ordinary Americans.”

A majority of Democrats (87%) and independents (62%) agree with the first statement, while a majority of Republicans agree with the second statement (82%).

Majorities of Christian nationalism adherents (77%) and sympathizers (69%) see Trump's changes as a “long overdue correction,” compared to much smaller numbers of Christian nationalism skeptics (45%) and rejecters (12%).

Government policies 'gone too far'

A majority of respondents believe that cuts in federal funding to health programs (60%) and universities and research institutions (55%), imposing new tariffs on imported goods (54%) and increasing funding for ICE to speed up efforts to arrest, detain and deport undocumented immigrants (52%) have gone too far, although party differences are stark.

Predictably, Democrats are far more inclined to see these changes as going too far.

Most independents also agree that these changes have gone too far, with about two-thirds of them saying cuts to federal funding for health, research and higher education have gone too far.

Most Americans, regardless of political affiliation, see rising housing costs and everyday expenses as a critical problem, although Democrats and independents are about 10 percentage points more likely than Republicans to say so.

Dissatisfaction with both parties

About four in ten Americans (39%) have a favorable opinion of the Republican Party, while 35% have a favorable opinion of the Democratic Party, although partisans mostly have a favorable opinion of their own parties.

Only three in ten independents have a favorable opinion of either party.

Majorities of Americans who have an unfavorable opinion of the Republican Party and the Democratic Party say it is because they do not represent the interests and values ​​of people like them (69% and 65%, respectively).

More than half (56%) of Americans who have an unfavorable view of the Republican Party say it's because the party is too beholden to Trump and is too extreme and right-wing (55%).

About half (52%) of Americans who have an unfavorable opinion of the Democratic Party say it is extremist and too left-wing.

Four in ten Republicans who have an unfavorable view of their party say it's because the Republican Party is too beholden to Trump.

More than six in ten Democrats who have an unfavorable opinion of their own party say it is because their party is not fighting hard enough against President Trump.