A majority of Americans say the American way of life is good, but most U.S. adult citizens want at least some changes. More than one-third say the American way of life is bad, and this group is divided between those wanting "something new and better" for the U.S. and those wanting "a better way it used to be."
YouGov asked U.S. adult citizens about which of four statements were closest to their beliefs:
- "The American way of life is bad and should be significantly changed to something new and better"
- "The American way of life is generally good, but some ways could be made better"
- "The American way of life is good and should be kept the way it is"
- "The American way of life is bad and needs to be restored to a better way it used to be"
A narrow 52% majority endorse the second statement — that the American way of life is "generally good" but could be improved. This is the most popular of the four statements among liberals and conservatives, younger and older adults, and among Americans planning to vote for Kamala Harris, for Donald Trump, or for neither candidate.
The next-most popular statement is that the American way of life is bad and needs to be restored to a better way it used to be. 23% of Americans identify most with that, including 34% of Trump supporters.
Another 15% also say that the American way of life is bad, but say it should be changed to something new and better. 39% of Americans who identify as "very liberal" pick this statement.
The least popular option, chosen by 10% of U.S. adult citizens, is that the American way of life is good and should be kept the way it is. This belief is most popular among Americans who identify as "very conservative": 24% pick it.
Looking at the state of the nation in another way, two-thirds of Americans (65%) say the country is on the wrong track, far more than the 22% who say it's headed in the right direction.
Among Americans who say things in the U.S. are on the wrong track, 43% say the American way of life is generally good, but some areas could be made better. 31% want the American way of life restored to a better way it used to be, and 17% want it changed to something new and better.
Most Americans who say things are headed in the right direction say the American way of life is generally good but could be improved. Similar shares of those who say things are on the wrong track (9%) or headed in the right direction (11%) agree that the American way of life is good and should be kept the way it is: The vast majority who say the country is moving the way it should be still want to see some kind of movement.
In the 2024 election, Harris leads Trump among Americans who say either that the American way of life is bad and needs to be changed to something new and better, and also among those who say it's good but some areas could be improved. Trump leads Harris among those who say the American way of life is good and should be maintained, and among those who say it's bad and should be restored to a better way it used to be.
Related:
- Ahead of July Fourth, here’s what Americans think about fireworks, democracy, and the American Dream
- Liberals say the country has moved to the right; conservatives say it's moved to the left
See the results of this poll
Methodology: This YouGov poll was conducted online on October 15 - 17, 2024 among 1,153 U.S. adult citizens. Respondents were selected from YouGov’s opt-in panel using sample matching. A random sample (stratified by gender, age, race, education, geographic region, and voter registration) was selected from the 2019 American Community Survey. The sample was weighted according to gender, age, race, education, 2020 election turnout and presidential vote, baseline party identification, and current voter registration status. Demographic weighting targets come from the 2019 American Community Survey. Baseline party identification is the respondent’s most recent answer given prior to November 1, 2022, and is weighted to the estimated distribution at that time (33% Democratic, 31% Republican). The margin of error for the overall sample is approximately 4%.
Image: Getty (rob dobi)
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