84% Say America’s Founding Ideals Are Threatened

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• Eight in 10 voters (80%) agree that it is fair to say that America was founded on the ideals of Freedom, Equality and Self-Governance.
  • This includes 90% of Republicans, along with 72% of Democrats.
  • Two thirds (67%) of voters under 35 say that America was founded on these ideals, compared to 89% of seniors.
• Voters are also firmly convinced that “all people are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.”
  • Overall, 84% of voters agree with this statement, including 63% who Strongly Agree.
• Sadly, however, just 35% say America is doing a better job of living up to its founding ideals than in the past, while 55% disagree.
  • A narrow majority (52%) of Republicans say America is doing a better job, but 72% of Democrats disagree.
  • These numbers are similar to October 2025, but slightly better than the sentiment in August 2023 when only 27% said that America was doing a better job than in earlier times.
• In addition, 84% of voters say that America’s founding ideals are being threatened by some political leaders and activists.
  • Nearly identical numbers of Republicans (83%) and Democrats (84%) agree on this, for very different reasons.
• Finally, just 16% of voters say America will be more unified this time next year, consistent with numbers since June of 2025.
  • That number increased to a scant 23% shortly after Trump took office. That was the highest it had been since January of 2021, when 24% said America would be more unified.
  • Meanwhile, 39% say America will be more polarized, and 28% say it will be about the same.

This data is from a Napolitan News Service survey of 1,000 Registered Voters conducted online by Scott Rasmussen, February 11-12, 2026. RMG Research, Inc., conducted the field work for the survey. It has a margin of error of +/- 3.1.