Public opinion is shifting across nearly every major issue shaping American life, often along sharp partisan lines. These findings paint a picture of growing pessimism at home and declining confidence abroad, while also highlighting how rapidly evolving technology and social trends are reshaping daily life. Below is a snapshot of the most striking insights from Pew’s latest research.
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Most Americans Believe Trump is Trying to Exert More Power than Past Presidents
69% of Americans think Trump is taking more power than previous presidents have. Out of that 69%, 49% believe this is a bad thing, while 12% think it's good. Only 2% of Americans think he is trying to exert less power than his predecessors.
If you look by party lines, 83% of Democrats believe that Trump is exerting more power, and that it's a bad thing. While only 49% of Republicans believe he is exerting more power, but of that 49%, most believe it's a good thing.
Party Lines Determine Which News Sources You Trust
Out of 30 news channels in the poll, Fox News is the most divisive. It is trusted by 56% of Republicans and only 19% of Democrats. Fox News is distrusted by 21% of Republicans and 64% of Democrats.
CNN is another notable difference, with 21% of Republicans and 56% of Democrats trusting it.
No news source in the survey is well-trusted by both parties. ABC comes the closest, with 26% of Republicans and 61% of Democrats trusting it.
Immigrant Population is on the Decline
In January 2025, immigrants made up 16% of the population. That equals 53.3%, which is the highest population of immigrants in U.S. history. This number declined to 51.9 million by June 2025. Pew Research states this is likely “due to deportations, voluntary departures, and fewer new arrivals.” In 2023, 73% of immigrants were here legally, with the remaining 27% here illegally.
The lowest point for immigration numbers was in 1970, with 4.7% of the population being immigrants, or 9.6 million people.
Most Hispanics in the U.S. Feel the Country has Gotten Worse
Today, 68% of Hispanics in the U.S. feel that their situation has gotten worse. This is up quite a bit compared to 39% in 2019 and 26% in 2021.
39% of Latinos say they have considered moving to another country, citing the political situation as the reason.
Other Countries View U.S. More Negatively
Ten countries were surveyed: Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, and the UK. Of those surveyed in these countries, only 36% say they have a good opinion of the U.S. This has been on a downward trend since 2021 when it was at a63% positive rating.
Most Americans Feel Higher Education is Going in the Wrong Direction
79% of Americans feel that higher education costs are not being properly controlled and 55% feel they are not doing a good job of preparing students for today's jobs. This trend is worsening as only 56% of American's felt college was going in the wrong direction in 2020.
Today, only 28% of people feel that college is going in the right direction.
Most Americans are Pessimistic About the Effects of AI on Society
53% of Americans feel AI will worsen our ability to think creatively and 50% feel it will have negative effects on interpersonal relationships. About 40% feel it will make it harder for people to make hard decisions and problem solve.
76% of people say it is extremely important to be able to distinguish between AI-generated content and human-created content. Yet, only 53% of people are confident they can tell the difference, and only 12% are very confident.
Half of Google Users Don't Go Past the AI Answer
Despite the negative view of AI-generated content, Google users who receive an AI-generated answer to their query are half as likely to click on a search result as those who do not receive an AI answer.
If an AI answer is provided, Google users only click on a search result 8% of the time, vs 15% when an AI answer is not present.
A Third of Children Under 2 Watch YouTube Daily
62% of children under two watch YouTube, with 35% of those children watch it daily. Daily use is up from 24% in 2020.
Children aged 2-4 also watch YouTube in large numbers. 84% watch it sometimes, with 51% watching daily.
Republican Support for the MMR Vaccine is Dropping
Democrat support for the MMR vaccine remains stable at about 85% believing that healthy children should be required to take the MMR vaccine to attend public school. But Republican support has dropped from 79% in 2019 to 52% in 2025.
Americans are Getting Concerned about the Growth of Sports Betting
43% of Americans feel the widespread legalization of sports betting is bad for society. This is up from 22% in 2022. Men under 30 had the biggest change at 47% today, vs 22% in 2022. Women under 30 changed less, with growth from 25% believing it's a negative for society in 2022 to 35%.
You can see the full write-up at the Pew Research Center.
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