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Know the New America & Beyond: March 2025

Know the New America & Beyond: March 2025

Read a monthly dispatch of Ipsos' best insights on the U.S. tailored for the world

24 March 2025

Know the New America & Beyond: March 2025

What is now happening in the U.S. is driving markets and politics around the world. Ipsos uniquely covers citizens, voters and consumers both in the U.S. and globally: In this update, we report monthly on the Trump administration’s actions – and how the American public and economy are reacting.

So far, President Trump is maintaining his approval rating among Americans, dropping only slightly since his inauguration in January from 47% to 44% today, according to our Reuters/Ipsos Core Political survey. That’s better than he performed during his first term, but notably is weaker than most other presidents in the last 50 years, reflecting polarisation in the U.S.

However, on THE most important issue to Americans – inflation and rising prices – his approval is now lower: Only 32% of Americans approve of Trump’s handling of the cost of living in America, according to the Reuters/Ipsos survey. Meanwhile, 57% of Americans say that Trump’s moves to shake up the economy are too erratic.

On foreign policy, many Americans aren’t supportive of the Trump administration’s policy on tariffs. Only 31% of Americans agree that American workers come out ahead when the U.S. charges tariffs on imported goods, while 48% disagree. But Americans are more split on U.S. involvement and foreign aid to other countries, according to the Reuters/Ipsos survey. Half of Americans (50%) support continuing to provide weapons and financial aid to Ukraine while 46% oppose it, but most (53%) support cutting U.S. aid to foreign countries.

Read on to discover the latest insights on America from Ipsos. Thank you for reading – do contact us to help you navigate this uncertain environment, thanks to our wide range of services ranging from corporate reputation to brand management and consumer tracking, through public opinion measurement.

How the U.S. election reshapes the terrain for citizens and businesses

The election that returned Donald Trump to power revealed a more nuanced United States, in which the issues political parties stand for have blurred. Businesses and organisations around the world must understand the grey areas in America; those that align with their consumers, clients or stakeholders will thrive. Learn more in a new report from Ipsos’ Insights to Activate series, where we lay out what global brands in consumer goods, food & beverage, retail, technology and healthcare need to know.

Americans are feeling much less comfortable about their economic status

The American economic engine is showing signs of slowing, a troubling indicator for companies around the world: Just 37% of people in the U.S. say they feel very or somewhat comfortable with their personal economic situation, a 14-percentage-point drop since shortly after the election last November, according to the Ipsos Consumer Tracker.

How politics are changing America’s shopping habits

One in four people in America say they have changed their shopping habits because of politics or current events, a trend that shows that brand risk is real in the new America. But digging underneath the surface, the Ipsos Consumer Tracker shows that many people within that group are finding it difficult to completely stop shopping from places. This shows that while risk is everywhere, many brands still have a foothold to regain their position.

Younger Americans are much more pessimistic on climate change, according to the Ipsos Consumer Tracker

Trump approval declines after inauguration as would be expected

45% of US registered voters and 44% of all Americans approve of the way Donald Trump is handling his job as President - down from 49%/47% in January

Consumer confidence declines slightly to kick off 2025

What the rest of the world thinks

While Trump is obviously mostly concerned about what’s going on in America, the USA needs other countries, if only as markets. Early reactions are generally negative: Not only in Canada, where he has caused a surge in patriotism and the resurgence of the Liberals, but also in Mexico, and across Europe. More defence spending by many of these countries – and realignment of alliances – look certain.

Canada