If you only read the headlines, you would think the country can't agree on anything. Our October 2026 National Policy Survey—1,200 U.S. adults, including 1,000 registered voters—tells a different story. Americans are deeply unhappy with how Washington works, and when you ask them about actual policy, large majorities land in the same place regardless of party membership. Below is a tour of the toplines. The full results, with every question, are available in our National Policy Survey toplines.
Americans are more optimistic about their own lives than about the country. Asked whether they expect to be better or worse off a year from now, 59% say better and 29% say worse. Asked the same about America, the split is 43% better, 45% worse.
Washington gets low marks. Just 33% approve of the job Congress is doing (56% disapprove), and half of Americans—51%—say their voice and opinions are not being heard in Washington, against 35% who say they are. Asked who is to blame when Congress fails to get things done, the most common answer is "both parties put their own party's interests ahead of the country's" (43%), well ahead of "one party is mainly responsible" (29%).
The cost of living is the pressure point. Jobs and the economy is the single most pressing issue for 26% of Americans, followed by health care (16%), taxes and government spending (9%) and immigration (9%). Asked which costs have squeezed their household budget most over the past year, 60% name groceries—far ahead of gasoline (35%), housing (24%), health care (19%) and electricity (19%).
Neither party has the public's confidence. The Democratic Party is viewed favorably by 48% and unfavorably by 47%; the Republican Party by 41% and 53%. President Trump's job approval stands at 40% approve, 57% disapprove.
Against that backdrop, the idea of an independent candidate polls better than either party: 49% view "an independent candidate not affiliated with the Republican or Democratic parties" favorably and 25% unfavorably. Asked which kind of candidate would best represent them in Congress, the plurality—36%—choose "a candidate who works and votes with both Republicans and Democrats," ahead of a straight Democrat (28%) or Republican (23%).
Americans are also open to the idea that a few independents could change how Congress works: 45% think three to five independent members holding the balance of power "would be able to force the two parties to reach agreements and get things done," against 29% who think they would be shut out. And 42% say their voice would be more clearly heard in Washington if their representative were a moderate independent, versus 34% who disagree.
The strongest consensus in the survey is about the rules of politics itself. Each of these proposals is supported by a clear majority of Americans:
The same holds for how Congress handles money. 73% favor barring Congress from using accounting techniques that hide the long-term cost of a bill. 65% want a public vote on any spending bill introduced less than 72 hours before it is considered. And 62% say any new government program should be paid for—with an identical 62% saying the same of any new tax cut.
Some of the highest numbers in the survey concern children online. 83% of Americans favor giving parents the legal right to see and control what their minor children do on social media. 81% favor requiring social media companies to verify a user's age before opening an account. 73% favor barring companies from using features designed to keep children scrolling—autoplay, endless feeds and the like.
On artificial intelligence, Americans want rules now rather than later: 48% want a single national AI framework, 31% want states free to set their own protections, and only 21% think government should hold off so companies can move faster. Asked what worries them more, 61% say that AI is being developed too quickly without enough attention to safety; 24% worry more that the United States will fall behind China.
On privacy, 47% say law enforcement and intelligence agencies should need a warrant from a judge before accessing Americans' personal data held by technology companies, and a further 33% say agencies should not be able to access that data at all. Just 20% would let agencies decide for themselves. And as data centers spread, 61% say local communities should decide what is built in their area, and 61% say the data-center company—not other electricity customers—should pay the full cost of the grid upgrades its facility requires.
The survey asked what should be done to close the Social Security shortfall. The answers are clear. The most popular step by far is guaranteeing everyone 55 and older their full promised benefit with no changes (79% favor). Two financing options also draw broad support: applying the payroll tax to earnings above $176,100, which are currently exempt (66%), and letting workers under 40 direct part of their payroll contribution into a personal retirement account they own (69%). Raising the full retirement age to 69 for people now under 50 is contested, 46% favor to 40% oppose.
Asked about the program's future overall, 46% want it preserved as a guaranteed government benefit funded by asking higher earners to pay more, 37% want it preserved for those near retirement with personal accounts for younger workers, and 17% would gradually replace it with personal accounts.
Immigration is where the poles are loudest and the middle is largest. On the border and legal status, 37% say the border must be fully secured before any legal status is considered, 35% want border security and an earned path to legal status passed together, and 28% want a path to legal status now without increased enforcement.
On legal immigration, only 23% want it reduced. 46% want it restructured to target the skills and sectors the economy needs, and 32% want it broadly expanded. On enforcement away from the border, 42% say it should focus only on people convicted of serious crimes, 28% say it should prioritize criminals while leaving everyone here illegally subject to removal, and 30% say it should apply to everyone regardless of record.
On health coverage, the most popular option is a new one: 40% want coverage to become portable and individually owned, with contributions going into an account that travels with the worker—ahead of keeping the employer-based system as it is (32%) or replacing it with a single government-run program (29%). 43% want hospitals and insurers required to publish the real prices they charge and pay. And 41% say people should be free to choose the level of coverage they want, including cheaper plans with fewer benefits.
On energy, 39% want government to actively support cleaner energy through tax credits and standards, 31% want all energy sources treated equally with projects of every kind approved quickly, and 30% want strong environmental review kept even if it slows development. Asked what the top energy priority should be, a third say "all of the above"—lower prices, more supply, less pollution and a more reliable grid—and a quarter put lower household prices first.
On the economy, half of Americans (50%) say American capitalism is either the reason the country is exceptionally successful or is core to its success but needs guardrails. Yet 54% say the economy as it actually works today is rigged in favor of large companies and people with political connections, against 32% who say it mostly works the way a free market should. Asked what most holds back small business, the top answer is "large companies using political influence and government rules to shut out competition" (28%). And the ownership gap is real: 47% already own a home and say it was achievable, but 17% say owning a home will never be achievable for them, and 26% want to own a business but don't.
The survey describes a public that is tired of the way Washington works and far less divided on policy than the daily political fight suggests. Term limits, honest budgeting, protecting kids online, keeping Social Security's promises, rules for AI and a warrant for personal data all draw majorities that cut across party lines. The fights that dominate the news—taxes, the size of government, how hard to enforce immigration law—are real, but on most of them a workable center exists, and on a surprising number of questions, it is already a majority.
What is clear is that no matter Americans' political identity, a majority agree on many of the most pressing and critical issues we need to address.
So if that's the case, what's stopping our elected leaders from making progress?
Online survey of U.S. adults, n = 1,200, of whom 1,000 are registered voters (RV). Results are unweighted (pre-field flex quotas balanced to census and data universe targets on gender, age, race/ethnicity, partisanship, education level and geography). Margin of error ±3.1 pts (RV) / ±2.8 pts (adults) at 95% confidence. Totals may not sum to 100 due to rounding; multi-select questions sum to more than 100; "<1" is a non-zero value under 0.5%. Survey fielded Oct. 1–6, 2026. See the full toplines.
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