A survey released on October 29, 2026, found that 70% of Americans believe the United States is in decline, a 15-point increase from the previous year. The study, conducted by the American Communities Project at Michigan State University, indicates that rising costs and healthcare concerns are primary factors contributing to this sentiment ahead of the 2026 midterm elections.
The American Communities Project has tracked these metrics since 2023. While the number of respondents who believed the country was in decline fell to 55% in 2025—a shift researchers attributed to increased hope in communities that voted for Donald Trump in 2024—the current 70% figure matches the sentiment recorded in 2023. The researchers noted that the return to higher levels of concern suggests that the optimistic outlook in those specific communities has since diminished.
Economic factors appear central to the survey findings. Nearly half of respondents, 47%, reported experiencing "serious financial problems" due to price increases, up from 30% in 2025 and 27% in 2023. Additionally, healthcare rose to the second-most cited concern, with 30% of Americans naming it a top issue in their community, compared to 20% last year. The survey of 2,155 adults was conducted by SSRS in September 2026 and carries a margin of error of plus or minus 2.4 percentage points.
The scale of this shift is reflected in the 17-point jump in reported financial distress among the general population between 2025 and 2026. This trend has immediate consequences for the healthcare sector, where 30% of the population now identifies costs and access as a primary local concern. Respondents cited hospital closures, the loss of health insurance, and disease outbreaks as specific community challenges. A person living in a household earning between $75,000 and $99,999 is among the most likely to cite healthcare as a top issue, with 36% of that income group reporting it as a priority.
These findings set a precedent for a disillusioned electorate as the 2026 midterm elections approach, suggesting that voters may be seeking changes in policy to address cost-of-living and healthcare access. The knock-on effects could influence legislative priorities for the incoming Congress regarding inflation management and public health funding. The American Communities Project plans to conduct a follow-up survey after the 2026 midterms and once the new Congress is seated to determine how these attitudes evolve following the election results. Detailed community-level data was published on the project's website on October 26, 2026.