The 2026 American Communities Project finds that Americans are disheartened and feeling real economic pain, but they are also still hopeful for the country in some ways:

• 49% of respondents chose “inflation or increasing costs” as one of the three most important issues nationally.
• Overall, 30% said healthcare is a top-three issue in their community.
• 70% of Americans nationwide agree with the statement: “The United States is in decline.”
• 47% nationwide expressed that they are hopeful about the future of the United States over the next few years.

Survey Methodology

The survey was conducted on the SSRS Opinion Panel Omnibus survey over two weeks, September 3–6, 2026, and September 17–21, 2026, with 2,155 respondents and a margin of error of +/- 2.4 points.