Opinion Today
December 23, 2025
Americans End Year in Gloomy Mood Megan Brenan and Jeffrey M. Jones, Gallup Americans head into 2026 deeply dissatisfied with the nation’s direction, offering worsened economic assessments and broadly negative views of political leadership following the historic government shutdown.
America’s allies say the US creates more problems than it solves Erin Doherty, Politico Pluralities in Germany and France — and a majority of Canadians — say the US is a negative force globally, new POLITICO-Public First polling finds.
Younger Americans are less likely than others to support an active role for the U.S. in world affairs Shanay Gracia, Pew Research Center Overall, 53% of Americans say it is extremely or very important for the U.S. to take an active role in world affairs, according to a Pew Research Center survey conducted Nov. 17-30, 2025, among 10,357 adults.
As Measles Cases Rise, Views of MMR Vaccine Safety and Effectiveness and Willingness to Recommend It Drop Annenberg Public Policy Center, University of Pennsylvania The United States is experiencing the worst year for measles cases in more than three decades, with nearly 2,000 cases confirmed by the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention. As U.S. cases rise, a new nationally representative panel survey by the Annenberg Public Policy Center of the University of Pennsylvania finds a small but significant drop in the proportion of the public that would recommend that someone in their household get the MMR vaccine, which protects against measles, mumps, and rubella.
Most adults have donated to charities this year AP-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research Groups that provide basic needs to people living in the U.S. and religious institutions were among the most popular recipients of people’s charity.
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Most US adults aren’t making year-end charitable contributions, new AP-NORC poll finds James Pollard and Linley Sanders, Associated Press Most Americans aren’t making end-of-year charitable giving plans, according to the results of a new AP-NORC poll, despite the many fundraising appeals made by nonprofits that rely on donation surges in the calendar’s final month to reach budget targets.
Trump’s approval rating ticks down Eli Yokley & Cameron Easley, Morning Consult The president’s approval rating sits at 45%, down 1 percentage point from a week ago, while 52% of voters continue to disapprove of his job performance. Americans Identify With Religious Diversity, But They Divide Over Religion’s Role Ari Pinkus, American Communities Project In the latest ACP/Ipsos survey of 5,400 respondents, just over half (56%) said, “Religion and faith are important parts of American life.” But the variance at the community level ranged 34 points.
The Most Republican Jobs in America? Start with the Church. Ryan Burge, Graphs about Religion Do you ever wonder how the partisanship of people who work for religious organizations varies compared to folks who work in other industries? Of course you do—and I think I can answer that question with a high degree of specificity, thanks to an amazing data collection effort from a team of researchers.
What Refugee Sponsorship Reveals About America’s Immigration Divide More in Common US At a time when immigration debates feel gridlocked and polarized, refugee sponsorship offers a rare point of alignment — building trust across partisan lines, supporting successful local integration, and sustaining public support by putting local communities at the center.
State of Her Health Report Marissa Padilla, Global Strategy Group Women across the country are navigating their health and health care with too little information, too many barriers, and not enough trust. Global Strategy Group’s State of Her Health report brings together honest conversations and real data to reveal the truth about how women experience health care in the U.S. and the major knowledge gaps that exist.
North Dakota: Inflation dents holiday spending spirit Michael Standaert, North Dakota News Cooperative Inflation is hitting North Dakotans on a daily basis and impacting holiday spending, data from the latest North Dakota Poll shows. A majority of North Dakotans are givers Michael Standaert, North Dakota News Cooperative Despite stubborn inflation, higher daily costs and a dip in holiday spending, most North Dakotans are committed to charitable giving, according to the latest North Dakota Poll, commissioned by the North Dakota News Cooperative. Bari Weiss’s Audience of One Jonathan Chait, The Atlantic [unlocked] Although many of Trump’s goals to reindustrialize the economy or prosecute his enemies have floundered, his plan to corrupt the media is starting to work. Is Trump losing his grip on the Republican Party? Does it matter? Julia Azari, Good Politics/Bad Politics The president-party relationship is more complicated than people think MAGA’s Manly Manufacturing Misfire Paul Krugman Understanding Trump’s other big failure Hundreds of Big Post-Election Donors Have Benefited From Trump’s Return to Office Karen Yourish, Kenneth P. Vogel and Charlie Smart, New York Times [unlocked] The president’s team has created a highly unusual fund-raising apparatus for causes he favors. The Times analyzed more than half a billion dollars in contributions from 346 donors. Some have received pardons, jobs, access to the president and other valuable gains. Trump’s Reordering of US Capital Katanga Johnson, Patrick Clark, Olga Kharif, Ari Natter and Allison McNeely, Bloomberg [unlocked] In the first year of his second administration, Donald Trump and his advisers have moved with uncommon speed to alter the flow of money in the US. A Forgotten Young Republicans Scandal Shows How Hard It Is for Party Elders to Control Young Troops Ian Ward, Politico Magazine The 2022 group chat with bigoted messages led to few consequences. More than a dozen staffers leave Heritage to join Pence-led nonprofit Jacob Wendler, Politico It’s the latest in a string of departures from the embattled organization. Democrats’ Lessons From 2024? Never Mind Karl Rove, Wall Street Journal [unlocked] Hoping its problems have solved themselves, the party won’t release its ‘after-action report.’ Democrats’ agenda for 2026 and beyond Douglas Schoen and Carly Cooperman (Schoen Cooperman Research), The Hill Democrats justifiably believe they have a good chance at retaking the House in 2026. Critically however, Democrats’ advantage is largely due to mounting frustration with the Trump administration, rather than anything Democrats themselves are doing.
For those on your list who would like to keep a finger on the pulse of public opinion in 2026, Opinion Today is a last-minute gift that will last all year:
PLAYLIST
Year In Review: Congress' Successes & Failures The NPR Politics Podcast As we approach 2026, the NPR Politics Podcast is taking a look back at the year that was in different political areas. Today, we look at what lawmakers were able to get done -- or not -- in 2025, and how that may influence their 2026 agenda.
New poll shows Americans remain concerned about affordability despite Trump's claims CBS News A recent CBS News poll shows how Americans are feeling about the costs of health care, food and housing. CBS News' Anthony Salvanto has more following President Trump's comments on the state of the U.S. economy.
Tamara Keith and Amy Walter on a fractured Republican Party PBS News Hour NPR’s Tamara Keith and Amy Walter of the Cook Political Report with Amy Walter join William Brangham to discuss the latest political news, including a fractured Republican Party on display and fallout from the partial release of the Epstein files.