Most Americans say U.S. should be world's moral leader; far fewer say it is
Washington, D.C., January 9 2026 - A significant gap has emerged between Americans' aspirations and current assessments regarding U.S. moral leadership, according to a new NPR/Ipsos poll. While three in five Americans agree the U.S. should be the moral leader of the world, only 39% believe it actually is. This shift reflects a significant decline in perceived standing from a 2017 NPR/Ipsos Poll.
Measured prior to the January 3 U.S. military operation in Venezuela and the capture Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, the survey also reveals a perception of a shifting world order, as half believe the United States has been losing influence around the world over the past five years, while a majority see China gaining influence during the same period. At the same time, a plurality favors an inward-looking foreign policy approach, with larger shares saying American foreign policy should focus on enriching America and Americans rather than promoting democracy and human rights abroad.
Deep partisan divisions characterize these views. Democrats are far more likely than Republicans to say the U.S. is losing global influence and far less likely to believe America currently serves as the world's moral leader.
Detailed Findings
1. Americans see a gap between moral leadership aspirations and current state of affairs.
- While 61% of Americans agree the United States should be the moral leader of the world, only 39% believe it actually is.
- This represents a significant shift from 2017, when 60% believed America was the moral leader, marking a 21-percentage point
- Partisan differences are pronounced: 64% of Republicans believe the U.S. is the moral leader, compared to only 24% of Democrats and 35% of Independents.
2. Half of Americans believe the U.S. is losing global influence, while even more say China has made gains.
- Half of Americans (50%) say the U.S. has been losing influence over the past five years, compared with just 21% who say it has gained influence; 24% say its level of influence has stayed about the same. Views on America's standing are deeply polarized by party: 72% of Democrats say the U.S. is losing influence compared to just 26% of Republicans.
- A majority (57%) believe China has been gaining influence during this same period. There is broader agreement about China's rise, with majorities of Democrats (65%), Republicans (52%), and Independents (63%) all saying China is gaining influence.
- Despite concerns about declining influence, 64% of Americans still view the U.S. as the leading military power and a plurality (41%) see it as the top economic power. China ranks second in perceptions of economic power, trailing the U.S. by just 12 points and more Americans say China, rather than the U.S., is the world leader in technology development (40% vs. 23%).
- While half say the U.S. is the #1 global superpower today, 30% are unsure which country is, reflecting widespread uncertainty about the current state of global affairs.
3. Americans increasingly favor an America-first foreign policy approach.
- Notably, 22% of Americans are unsure which approach foreign policy should take, highlighting uncertainty about America's role in the world.
- Consistent with cautious views on global engagement, more say America should stay out of the affairs of other countries (48%) rather than actively intervene in foreign conflicts to bring peace (28%).
About the Study
This NPR/Ipsos poll was conducted December 5–7, 2025 by Ipsos, on behalf of National Public Radio, using a weighted national sample of 1,021 adults (age 18 or older) living in all 50 U.S. states and the District of Columbia selected from its nationwide, probability-based online research panel, KnowledgePanel®. The margin of sampling error for this study is ±3.3 percentage points at the 95% confidence level with a design effect of 1.09.
The survey includes 324 Democrats (margin of error ±5.6 percentage points), 268 Republicans (±6.2 percentage points), and 327 Independents (±5.8 percentage points). Data for all qualified respondents were adjusted to gender by age, race/ethnicity, education, Census region, metropolitan status, household income, and party identification distributions derived from the 2025 March Supplement of the Current Population Survey (CPS) and the 2025 National Public Opinion Reference Survey (NPORS) for party identification.
Specific categories used in weighting were:
- Gender (Male, Female) by Age (18–29, 30–44, 45-59, 60+)
- Race-Ethnicity (White/Non-Hispanic, Black/Non-Hispanic, Other or 2+ Races/Non-Hispanic, Hispanic)
- Census Region (Northeast, Midwest, South, West) by Metropolitan Status (Metro, Non-Metro)
- Education (Less than High School, High School, Some College, Bachelor or higher)
- Household Income (under $25K, $25K-$49.9K, $50K-$74.9K, $75K-$99.9K, $100K-$149.9K, $150K+)
- Party Identification (Republican, Leans Republican, Independent/Other, Democrat, Leans Democrat)
For more information on this news release, please contact:
Mallory Newall
Vice President, US
Public Affairs
[email protected]
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