WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Americans’ U.S. foreign policy preferences at the start of Donald Trump's second term are largely the same as Gallup found when he took office in 2017. The public is united in thinking the nation's top priorities should be preventing terrorism, curtailing nuclear proliferation and securing energy supplies. Smaller majorities want the U.S. to pursue favorable trade deals and work with organizations like the United Nations to bring about global cooperation. Relatively few, on the other hand, rate promoting democracy or economic development in other countries as highly important, although there are sharp partisan differences in views on this group of goals.
These findings are from Gallup’s annual World Affairs poll, conducted Feb. 3-16. In addition to measuring Americans’ preferred foreign policy goals for the first time in eight years, the poll finds widespread public support for the NATO alliance, unchanged from the prior reading in 2019.
Gallup measures views about the economic impact of foreign trade annually. This year, the percentage saying foreign trade represents more of an opportunity than a threat to the U.S. has surged to 81%, statistically similar to the prior high of 79% seen at the end of Trump’s first term. This is primarily fueled by Republicans’ returning to the same level of enthusiasm about trade as they had in 2020, after feeling less confident during Joe Biden’s presidency.
Protecting U.S. Security, Prosperity Remain Key Foreign Policy Goals
The poll asked whether each of 11 foreign policy objectives should be a very important foreign policy goal of the U.S., a somewhat important goal, not too important or not important at all.
As Gallup has found for at least a decade, Americans prioritize national security in foreign policy, placing less value on supporting other countries politically or economically.
- National security is Americans’ chief focus, with more than four in five saying that preventing future acts of terrorism (84%) and preventing the spread of nuclear weapons (83%) should be very important foreign policy goals of the U.S.
- Economic prosperity is next, with 78% rating securing adequate energy supplies as very important, followed by promoting favorable trade policies, at 67%.
- Coordinating with other countries is also valued, whether through cooperation with multinational organizations like NATO to protect the security of the U.S. and its allies (65%), working with organizations like the U.N. to bring about world cooperation (62%) or defending U.S. allies’ security (59%).
- Humanitarian goals garner mixed backing. Americans support helping to reduce poverty and disease around the world, with 58% saying this should be a very important goal. But fewer, 48%, say the same about promoting and defending human rights in other countries.
- Nation-building efforts, including helping other countries build democracies (32%) and promoting economic development in other countries (28%), are valued less.
Most Americans not rating each goal as “very important” at least rate it as "somewhat important" rather than "not too" or "not at all" important.
Americans’ views have changed on one of the eight goals previously rated in 2017 -- defending U.S. allies’ security -- while the rest are statistically unchanged. The 59% currently saying that defending allies’ security ought to be a very important goal is down from 66% in 2017, but is similar to all prior ratings dating back to 2001, which ranged from 57% to 62%.
Working with multinational organizations like NATO and helping reduce poverty and disease around the world are new to the list this year, while promoting economic development in other countries was included once before, in 2013. Views of that have held steady, with less than a third in both readings rating such economic diplomacy as very important.
Partisans Generally Aligned on Most Goals, but Disagree on Four
Republicans and Democrats broadly agree that preventing terrorism and preventing the spread of nuclear weapons should be key U.S. objectives. Majorities of Republicans and Democrats also agree that securing adequate energy supplies, promoting favorable trade policies for the U.S. and defending U.S. allies’ security are highly important.
Partisans are also somewhat in agreement that helping build democracies and promoting economic development elsewhere are less important U.S. foreign policy goals. All three party groups place these at the bottom of the list, though more Democrats than Republicans rate them as very important.
At the same time, there are substantial partisan differences in perceptions of how important it is to work with multinational organizations, help reduce poverty and disease worldwide, and promote and defend human rights abroad. Democrats rate each of these much more highly than independents and Republicans do.
Since 2008, the gap between Democrats’ and Republicans’ prioritization of promoting human rights abroad has widened significantly. Close to half of each party group rated this as very important from 2001 through 2008, but Republicans have since become less likely to consider it very important, while Democrats have grown more likely. Independents’ views on the issue haven’t changed significantly.
Republicans’ already strong focus on securing energy supplies has increased further (from 83% in 2017 to 90% today) -- while Democrats’ interest in this, albeit still at the majority level, has waned (from 77% to 68%).
Partisans’ views on the other goals are similar to eight years ago.
Longer term, Republicans’ and Democrats’ views on helping other countries build democracies have flipped since one point during the Iraq War. Currently, Democrats (47%) are much more likely than Republicans (21%) to rate it as very important. This is a near reversal of attitudes in 2005, when the U.S. was attempting to install a democratic government in Iraq under George W. Bush, after the Bush administration overthrew Saddam Hussein.
NATO Still Enjoys Bipartisan Support
Despite not rating working with NATO as an important foreign policy goal as highly as Democrats do, the majority of Republicans (64%) join most Democrats (92%) and independents (75%) in believing the NATO alliance should be maintained.
As a result, three-quarters of Americans continue to back the alliance, while 19% say it’s not necessary.
Trump Effect on Trade Attitudes Is Back
The percentage of Americans who consider foreign trade as an opportunity for economic growth has jumped 20 percentage points since last year, to 81%, while those seeing it as more of a threat to the U.S. economy has fallen by half, to 14%. This returns perceptions of trade to the attitudes seen toward the end of Trump’s first term, before turning less positive under Biden.
All three political party groups became more confident about the benefits of trade under Trump from 2017 to 2020, then grew less confident under Biden and have since reverted to being more positive today. However, Republicans’ views have swung the most by far in the past year.
These shifts likely reflect Republicans’ much higher confidence in Trump than Biden to negotiate trade deals that would be favorable to the U.S. For their part, Democrats may be more positive about the benefits of trade defensively, in reaction to Trump’s proposing tariffs on imports.
Bottom Line
When assigning importance to various U.S. foreign policy objectives, Americans put the greatest emphasis on U.S. national security, energy procurement and favorable trade policies. Majorities of Republicans and Democrats agree that these should be foreign policy priorities.
The most substantive differences between the parties are seen in working with organizations like NATO and the U.N. Nearly nine in 10 Democrats, compared with roughly four in 10 Republicans, say that working with organizations like these should be very important U.S. foreign policy goals. Additionally, amid the Trump administration freezing most foreign aid administered through the USAID program during Trump’s first month in office, Democrats put much more emphasis than Republicans on humanitarian efforts abroad.
Continuing the pressure he put on NATO countries to contribute more to Europe’s defense in his first term, Trump in January called for member countries -- but not necessarily the U.S. -- to increase their defense spending to 5% of gross domestic product. Such messaging may explain why Republicans continue to support the NATO alliance but at a lower rate than Democrats. Meanwhile, all party groups’ confidence in foreign trade has returned, likely for different reasons, to the high levels last seen in February 2020.
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