US vs. Others: How Do Americans Compare Their Own Country with Other Parts of the World?
This is the full study of earlier findings the Trendency team published in November, which you can find here.
Back in November, Trendency released new data on the views Americans’ hold when it comes to their country’s economic competitiveness, comparing ratings on various indicators such as: getting a high paying job, starting a new business, and being able to retire comfortably. Even though the US economy is outperforming most other countries, the negative news coverage has had the predictable effect of decreasing Americans’ confidence in their own country over the past year and a half - but is this true for other issues? The bottom line: yes, Americans’ views on their own country are slowly but steadily declining.
When it comes to healthcare, this pattern continues for both the affordability and quality of healthcare in the United States. Both aspects saw negative shifts since March 2021, with a nearly double-digit drop when it comes to quality. For affordability, an already lukewarm opinion dropped below 50 on average over this 18-month time period (100 means a respondent feels they would definitely be better off in the United States, a score of zero would mean they definitely would be better off in another country and a 50 means it makes no difference).
The fact that Americans now view other countries as having more affordable healthcare options compared to the United States is not totally surprising. Americans’ views on healthcare affordability in their own country have been split at best since Trendency started testing opinions on this subject back in March of 2021, with slightly more believing they are better off in the US than in other countries (47% and 44%, respectively). This overall split sentiment didn’t change much over the next 18 months; however, the order of opinions flipped, with a slightly higher number of Americans believing they’re better off in another country when it comes to affordability than in the US (50% and 45%, respectively).
The same pattern occurred over the past year and a half when it comes to perceptions of the quality of healthcare in the US vs. other countries, albeit with a bigger shift. Back in March of 2021, about 3 in 5 Americans (59%) thought they were better off in the US when it comes to quality healthcare, with only about one-third (31%) thinking they were better off in other countries. Fast forward 18 months and the situation is much different, with split opinions that mirror what’s happening with affordability. The percentage of those who think they’re better off in the US dropped by 9 points, while those who think they’re better off elsewhere increased by 13 points, bringing the split to 50% vs. 44%, respectively.
Looking into these negative shifts by demographic groups, we found that this pattern is present with nearly all Americans, regardless of age, area type, and even 2020 Presidential vote, although the magnitude of the negative shift varies slightly. Americans under the age of 45 and those who live in suburban areas saw the steepest negative shifts on both healthcare affordability and quality, while Americans in rural areas have the highest level of movement towards being better off somewhere else. Clearly, Americans’ perceptions of the US healthcare system have grown increasingly negative over the past few years, a shift that was most likely accelerated by the stress and shortcomings of the COVID-19 pandemic response.
There are similarities when it comes to opinions on the US education system. When asked about the state of things in the US vs. other countries on two factors - sending kids to college and the quality of a public K-12 education - perceptions worsened for both since March of 2021. While opinions on both factors decreased over this 18-month period, sending kids to college fared worse, seeing a nearly 12-point drop from March 2021 to October 2022.
Just 1 in 10 Americans (10-13%) feels 100% confident that they are better off in the US when it comes to both educational factors, and, similar to what occurred with opinions on healthcare, there are now more Americans who feel that they would be better off in another country for both sending kids to college and receiving a quality public K-12 education than they would be in the US. When it comes to the quality of that public K-12 education, only about one-quarter of Americans feel strongly that the US is providing them the best option possible.
The rate of shifts in opinion for both education factors were universally negative. In the case of the quality of a public K-12 education, shifts were extremely similar by age and area, with some exceptions, like rural Americans whose negative shift occurred at a slower rate compared to urban and suburban Americans. Interestingly enough, the shift from March 2021 to October 2022 among Biden and Trump voters was nearly identical. However, there's plenty of evidence in today’s neverending news cycle that suggests these two groups of voters are reaching the same conclusion for different reasons.
The rate of shifts in opinion for both education factors were universally negative. In the case of the quality of a public K-12 education, shifts were extremely similar by age and area, with some exceptions, like rural Americans whose negative shift occurred at a slower rate compared to urban and suburban Americans. Interestingly enough, the shift from March 2021 to October 2022 among Biden and Trump voters was nearly identical. However, there's plenty of evidence in today’s neverending news cycle that suggests these two groups of voters are reaching the same conclusion for different reasons.
When it comes to whether sending kids to college is better in the US or elsewhere, negative shifts persist across demographic groups.Confidence in the US dropped by double digits among all age groups, as well as among suburban Americans, while urban and rural Americans saw less dramatic shifts over this 18-month period. Additionally, both Biden and Trump voters lost confidence in sending kids to college in the US since March of 2021. Like with shifts on healthcare opinions, Americans are beginning to think less and less of their own country’s standing on education.
As mentioned at the beginning, we also took a look at American shifts in opinion on how the US performs on basic economic measurements. Back in March 2021, Americans felt that the US was the best place to get a high paying job, start a new business, and retire comfortably. While that hasn't changed overall, each measurement has moved in favor of other countries in the past 18 months.
Starting a new business showed the most negative movement from last March until now, dropping nearly 11 points. Being able to retire and live comfortably moved perilously close to the 50/50 mark, meaning Americans are split on whether they'd be better off in the US or in another country.
The number of Americans who are 100% certain the US is the better choice for starting a new business dropped over the last year and a half and the number of those 100% certain another country is the better option doubled. Where 3 in 5 Americans (61%) thought that the US was the better place to be for starting a new business back in March of 2021, only half (51%) feel the same way 18 months later.
Conversely, the number of those who thought they’d be better off in another country increased by 16 points during the same time frame. Being able to retire and live comfortably saw less of a decrease compared to opening a business, but still saw a negative shift from 2021. Another measurement with increasingly negative views from Americans is getting a high paying job, with those saying they’re better off in the US decreasing by 9 points from 2021 to 2022.
When breaking these economic measures out by the same demographic groupings, we see similar patterns as before, with most groups experiencing a decrease in confidence with the US from March 2021 to October 2022. Americans under the age of 45 felt more negatively on all three measurements compared to Americans older than 45, while opinions among Americans in urban areas changed less than their suburban and rural counterparts. Both Biden and Trump voters became more negative over this time period as well, although Trump voters continue to have more confidence in the US being the better place to be on average.
Over the last few decades, the US has had to come to grips that it’s no longer the world leader in every category, something the country enjoyed largely in the post-World War II era. As legislators and the voters who put them in office continue to mold and shape the future of the country as a whole through policy and culture, it will be interesting to see how Americans’ perceptions on their own country continue to change.
