Know the New America & Beyond: May 2025
Read a monthly dispatch of Ipsos' best insights on the U.S. tailored for the world
The first 100 days are supposed to set the tone for a presidency. After a whirlwind of announcements and lots of noise and fury, President Trump's approval ratings remain low but broadly stable, with his core voters seemingly unfazed by rapid shifts on tariffs and their impact on the stock market.
Among voters of all parties who worry about the economy, there’s been a 15 point drop in his support since he was elected, and overall consumer confidence is falling slowly. Of course, tariffs are just beginning to bite. We asked Americans how they would react to a 10% price hike due to tariffs: Spending on restaurants, clothing, and large electronics are in the firing line, with over 40% of consumers saying they'd cut back on these items.
On foreign policy, another area of frantic activity, the public have clear reservations, with a majority believing the U.S. is on the wrong track, although views are more balanced on immigration, with supporters and opponents of free speech and other constitutional rights for immigrants being narrowly divided, for example.
So, what does all this mean? Well, it's clear that the new America is a complex and often contradictory beast. Read on to discover our latest insights, and don't hesitate to contact us to help you make sense of it all. After all, in these turbulent times, a little expert guidance can go a long way.
Yours sincerely,
Ben Page
CEO of Ipsos
Here’s what Americans think they’ll cut back on due to tariffs
What are people more willing to cut back on, if prices rose 10% due to tariffs? Discretionary items could face a bigger crunch, with one in three people saying they would have to cut back, according to the Ipsos Consumer Tracker.
Americans think foreign policy is on the wrong track
On foreign policy, 31% of Americans believe the United States is headed in the right direction, while 50% say it is on the wrong track. How do Americans think tariffs will affect them? 31% percent say that when the U.S. charges tariffs on imported goods, American workers come out ahead, while 45% disagree.
Americans are split on constitutional rights for immigrants without legal status
Americans hold conflicting views on whether immigrants should have constitutional rights, according to a new NPR/Ipsos poll. A plurality (45%) agree that First Amendment free speech protections should apply to everyone including immigrants, regardless of their legal status. However, a similar percentage (43%) also agree that constitutional rights generally should not apply to immigrants in the country without legal status.
Consumer confidence continues its drop
Trump’s approval remains stable
Q: Overall, do you approve or disapprove of the way Donald Trump is handling his job as president?
What the rest of the world thinks
Mark Carney’s victory in Canada was largely driven by a wave of pro-Canada sentiment in the face of threats from President Trump and the U.S.; there has been a resurgent “buy Canadian” movement. To a lesser extent the same pattern is visible in Mexico, as well as some European countries.
Meanwhile, in Australia, leaders in the minority party that had proposed the idea of an Australian DOGE more recently downplayed a proposal to “Make Australia Great Again.”
Canada
- Cross-Border Convictions: Analyzing the Drivers of Buying Canadian Read more
- Trump, Tariffs and Turmoil. Read more
United Kingdom
- In Britain, just two in five (39%) say the U.S. is a ‘force for good’ in world – down 17 percentage points from October 2024 Read more
- British perceptions of President Donald Trump and the key policies of his administration Read more
Australia
- The Trump effect: Aussies feeling burned by the searing cost of living as election nears Read more
Italy
- 100 days of Trump, the ISPI-Ipsos poll: what do Italians think? Read more
- Pagnoncelli's political polls: Italians' opinions on the economy, Trump and Gaza Read more
Read the previous April 2025 edition of Know the New America & Beyond
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