Know the New America & Beyond: September 2025
A monthly dispatch of Ipsos’ best insights on the U.S., tailored for the world.
What does it mean to be an American brand today? For years, American brands, products and services were some of the United States’ most recognizable and powerful economic and cultural exports.
But amid major shifts in the global order, Ipsos’ new Brand America survey of people across 10 major countries shows that being perceived as an American brand, rather than a global one, may have a negative impact on trust and purchase intent in non-U.S. markets.
When averaged across brand and countries, these negative effects amount to about a 20-point drop in both purchase intention and trust, with the greatest downside of American associations occurring in the United Kingdom. Can brands strike the right geo-tonal balance without abandoning their core brand identity?
For the foreseeable future, this is likely to be a highly fluid but impactful dynamic. Brand and insights leaders must ensure they (1) track the extent to which their brands are perceived as American, global, or local (2) understand the local linkages between attitudinal shifts and behavioral outcomes, and (3) adjust accordingly.
Read on to discover the latest insights on America from Ipsos. Thank you for reading — please contact us to help you navigate this uncertain environment.
Americans are more skeptical of AI. Here’s how companies can get them on board
The U.S. is an outlier globally in its AI skepticism, according to the Ipsos Global AI Monitor – and the number of people using AI tools has stagnated lately, with barely more Americans using them in 2025 than 2024. This illustrates a concerning enthusiasm gap for companies around the world, as they make massive investments with the world’s biggest economy in mind. So what can AI advocates do to bridge the AI divide? The answer: Get more humans involved.
Why being an American brand could come with challenges in international markets
The findings from Ipsos’ Brand America 2025 report are consistent: If a brand is perceived as American, then there is a negative impact on trust and purchase intent across non-U.S. markets. That’s true everywhere except in the U.S., where an American brand perception is a net positive for trust and purchase intent. Read more in our report, or dive even deeper an on-demand webinar with Ipsos U.S. leaders.
How the loss of U.S. tax credits for electric vehicles could hurt demand
Tax credits have long subsidized electric vehicle purchases in the U.S. — but that’s ending this month. Half of Americans don’t realize those credits are about to expire, and one in five Americans say they are less likely to purchase a battery EV once that happens. That has major implications for international auto brands hoping their next-gen vehicles will catch on in the U.S.
Trump’s overall approval remains relatively stable
Donald Trump's presidential approval rating stands at 42%, according to Reuters/Ipsos polling — statistically unchanged from polling in August. On the issues, the president gets higher marks for his handling of crime and immigration than he gets on the economy.
U.S. consumer confidence sits 2.7 points lower than last year
American consumers’ confidence in the economy have fallen since this time last year, driven by a particularly large drop in their expectations for the economy’s future. Month-over-month, the overall index is down 1.1 points in the U.S., a statistically insignificant change.
What the rest of the world thinks
- A slim majority of Canadians believe Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney has done a good job standing up to U.S. President Trump - Read more
- Our review of the state of the “special relationship” between the U.K. and U.S. finds the British cooling in their assessment of America’s contribution to world affairs - Read more
And finally, other Ipsos global reports this month
- The Uneasy Decade: The ninth edition of our Ipsos Global Trends report, surveying 33,000 people across 43 markets, finds that people around the world are feeling a decline in optimism amid a global climate of uncertainty. We’ll be sharing more headline findings in this month’s episode of our KEYS webinar. Register to receive the link to the replay
- The Eye of the Storm: The Ipsos Reputation Council Report 2025 is out now. It explores the rise of “Strategic Silence” as companies display reluctance about speaking out on potentially divisive issues. Read the report today or register for the webinar Oct. 7.
- Europe in wait-and-see mode as von der Leyen’s leadership is tested: The median European is in the “moveable middle” when it comes to attitudes towards the EU.
