Pessimism concerning the nation’s future has risen in cities since final 12 months, however rural America is extra optimistic about what’s forward for the U.S., in line with from the American Communities Mission.
And regardless of President Trump’s insistence that crime is uncontrolled in massive cities, residents of the nation’s largest metropolitan facilities are much less more likely to listing crime and gun violence among the many chief issues dealing with their communities than they have been a pair years in the past.
Optimism concerning the future can be down from final 12 months in areas with massive Hispanic communities.
These are a number of the snapshots from the brand new ACP/Ipsos survey, which presents a nuanced have a look at native issues by breaking the nation’s counties into group sorts, utilizing information factors like race, earnings, age and spiritual affiliation. The survey evaluated moods and priorities throughout the 15 completely different group sorts, akin to closely Hispanic areas, massive cities and completely different sorts of rural communities.
The widespread denominator throughout the communities? A gnawing fear about day by day family prices.
“Considerations about inflation are throughout the board,” mentioned Dante Chinni, founder and director of ACP. “One factor that really unites the nation is financial angst.”
Rising optimism in rural areas, regardless of financial anxiousness
Rural residents are feeling extra upbeat concerning the nation’s trajectory — though most aren’t seeing Trump’s promised financial revival.
The $15 price ticket on a range pack of Halloween sweet on the Kroger grocery store final month struck Carl Gruber. Disabled and receiving federal meals assist, the 42-year-old from Newark, Ohio, had hardly been oblivious to lingering, excessive grocery store costs.
However Gruber, whose spouse is also unable to work, is hopeful concerning the nation’s future, primarily within the perception that costs will average as Trump suggests.
“Proper now, the president is attempting to get corporations who moved their companies overseas to maneuver them again,” mentioned Gruber, a Trump voter whose help has wavered over the federal shutdown that delayed his month-to-month meals profit. “So, perhaps we’ll begin to see costs come down.”
About 6 in 10 residents of Rural Center America — Newark’s classification within the survey — say they’re hopeful concerning the nation’s future over the following few years, up from 43% within the 2024 ACP survey. Different communities, like closely evangelical areas or working-class rural areas, have additionally seen an uptick in optimism.
Kimmie Tempo, a 33-year-old unemployed mom of 4 from a small city in northwest Georgia, mentioned, “I’ve anxiousness each time I am going to the grocery retailer.”
However she, too, is hopeful in Trump. “Trump’s in cost, and I belief him, even when we’re not seeing the advantages but,” she mentioned.
Massive-city residents are nervous concerning the future
Against this, the share of big-city residents who say they’re hopeful concerning the nation’s future has shrunk, from 55% final 12 months to 45% within the new survey.
Robert Engel of San Antonio — Texas’ booming, second most-populous metropolis — is nervous about what’s subsequent for the U.S., although much less for his era than the following. The 61-year-old federal employee, whose employment was not interrupted by the federal government shutdown nor Trump’s effort to cut back the federal workforce, is close to retirement and feels financially steady.
A steady job market, well being care availability and a good financial surroundings for his grownup youngsters are his primary priorities.
Lately, the inflation outlook has worsened underneath Trump. Shopper costs in September elevated at an annual fee of three%, up from 2.3% in April, when the president first started to roll out substantial tariff will increase that burdened the economic system with uncertainty.
Engel’s less-hopeful outlook for the nation is broader. “It’s not simply the economic system, however the state of democracy and polarization,” Engel mentioned. “It’s an actual fear. I attempt to be cautiously optimistic, but it surely’s very, very onerous.”
Crime, gun violence are much less a priority in city America
Trump had threatened to deploy the Nationwide Guard to Chicago, New York, Seattle, Baltimore, San Francisco and Portland, Ore., to battle what he mentioned was runaway, city crime.
But information reveals most violent crime in these locations, and across the nation, has declined lately. That tracks with the ballot, which discovered that residents of America’s Massive Cities and Center Suburbs are much less more likely to listing crime or gun violence among the many prime points dealing with their communities than they have been in 2023.
For Angel Gamboa, a retired municipal employee in Austin, Tex., Trump’s claims don’t ring true within the metropolis of roughly 1 million individuals.
“I don’t wish to say it’s overblown, as a result of crime is a critical topic,” Gamboa mentioned. “However I really feel like there’s an agenda to scare People, and it’s so pointless.”
As an alternative, residents of Massive Cities usually tend to say immigration and well being care are essential points for his or her communities.
Massive Cities are one of many group sorts the place residents are most definitely to say they’ve seen adjustments in immigration not too long ago, with 65% saying they’ve seen a change of their group associated to immigration over the previous 12 months, in contrast with solely about 4 in 10 residents of communities labeled within the survey as Evangelical Hubs or Rural Center America.
Gamboa says he has witnessed adjustments, notably outdoors an Austin Residence Depot, the place day laborers recurrently would collect within the mornings to seek out work.
Not anymore, he mentioned.
“Immigrants weren’t exhibiting up there to commit crimes,” Gamboa mentioned. “They have been exhibiting as much as assist their households. However when ICE was within the car parking zone, that’s all it took to scatter individuals who have been simply looking for a job.”
Hispanic communities are much less hopeful concerning the future
After Hispanic voters moved sharply towards Trump within the 2024 election, the ballot reveals that residents of closely Hispanic areas are feeling worse about the way forward for their communities than they have been earlier than Trump was elected.
Carmen Maldonado describes her group of Kissimmee, Fla., a fast-growing, majority-Hispanic metropolis of about 80,000 residents about 22 miles (35 kilometers) south of Orlando, as “severely troubled.”
The 61-year-old retired, active-duty Nationwide Guard member isn’t alone. The survey discovered that 58% of residents of such communities are hopeful about the way forward for their group, down from 78% final 12 months.
“It’s not simply hopelessness, however worry,” mentioned Maldonado, who says individuals in her group — even her fellow native Puerto Ricans, who’re Americans — are anxious concerning the Trump administration’s aggressive pursuit of Latino immigrants.
Simply over a 12 months in the past, Trump made substantial inroads with Hispanic voters within the 2024 presidential election.
Past simply the way forward for their communities, Hispanic respondents are additionally considerably much less more likely to say they’re hopeful about the way forward for their youngsters or the following era: 55% this 12 months, down from 69% in July 2024.
Maldonado worries that the Trump administration’s insurance policies have stoked anti-Hispanic attitudes and that they’ll final for her grownup baby’s lifetime and past.
“My hopelessness comes from the truth that we’re a big a part of what makes up america,” she mentioned, “and typically I cry excited about these households.”
Beaumont, Parwani and Thomson-Deveaux write for the Related Press. Parwani and Thomson-DeVeaux reported from Washington. The American Communities Mission/Ipsos Fragmentation Examine of 5,489 American adults aged 18 or older was carried out from Aug. 18 – Sept. 4, 2025, utilizing the Ipsos probability-based on-line panel and RDD phone interviews. The margin of sampling error for adults total is plus or minus 1.8 share factors.
