U.S. Adults Agree Broadly on Priorities for Themselves, their Families, and their Communities
Survey shows most agree that safety, good jobs, and opportunities to be healthy are their highest priorities in the places they call home.
Despite a common assumption that our country is more polarized than ever, new survey research shows that U.S. adults agree broadly on their priorities for themselves, their families, and their communities, and in the day-to-day challenges they face.
And despite overwhelming concern about political divisions and the direction the country is headed, people still believe in the important role that the government plays in confronting problems, such as the high cost of housing and healthcare, and lack of access to clean drinking water. Respondents also feel they have power to create change locally.
The findings, released and funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, are based on a representative online survey of 2,282 adults in June and July 2025 and focus groups conducted in April 2025 by PerryUndem.
“This research sheds light on the fact that we actually do have real common ground on our aspirations and values—particularly when it comes to what we value for making our communities healthy,” said Lauren Smith, MD, MPH, vice president, Strategic Portfolio, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. “In fact, it shows that we are incredibly united in the belief that a person’s ZIP code should not determine their ability to afford safe housing, find a good job, or buy healthy food.”
The research also found that people are tired of dissension and believe that politicians, the media, and social media are making it harder to find common ground.
As one focus group participant said: “We’re all experiencing the same uncertainty and the same upheaval, whether it’s real or sensationalized. You know, part of it, I think, is the system is designed to keep us at odds with each other.” (Man, NC, rural community, Republican, White, age 48)
“Our focus groups intentionally mixed people of different political beliefs and those who live in different parts of the country. We were struck by how they came together around shared concerns and priorities in the places they live and said they don’t do this enough in real life,” said Mike Perry, partner at PerryUndem. “People are out of practice being on common ground, it’s become less comfortable, almost like they feel they are supposed to be on ‘sides.’”
The research found:
We value the same things:
Respondents said it’s very important to feel safe (81%), to be financially secure with good-paying jobs (68%), to afford a safe and stable place to live (67%), and to live near a grocery store to feed our families (65%). Nearly three in four (72%) of people feel it is very important that everyone in their community has the opportunity to be healthy (72%) and for the communities we live in to have clean drinking water (83%) and good schools (76%).
We also face the same big challenges:
Respondents are concerned about the high cost of living (87%), including unaffordable housing (76%) and the lack of affordable, quality healthcare (69%).
People are worried about the impact of costs on others, not just themselves:
Nearly 4 out of 5 (78%) people are concerned that rising costs will drive long-term residents to leave their communities. And an overwhelming majority (94%) believe your ZIP code shouldn’t determine access to affordable housing, good jobs, and healthy food.
People are worried about the impact of costs on others, not just themselves: Nearly 4 out of 5 (78%) people are concerned that rising costs will drive long-term residents to leave their communities. And an overwhelming majority (94%) believe your ZIP code shouldn’t determine access to affordable housing, good jobs, and healthy food.
Other key findings include:
People feel more optimistic about their towns, cities, and states than the nation as a whole:
The research found that people are far more likely to feel hopeful and have a sense that they can help drive solutions to challenges that impact health— such as housing affordability, the high cost of living, and access to clean water—at the local level than the national level. Most feel they have the power to improve their personal lives (90%), financial situation (82%), or neighborhood (67%). Most people feel they can have a positive impact on their own community—but they can’t do it alone: 60% believe it’s very or somewhat likely they can solve community problems by working with their neighbors. They don’t have that same optimism about their ability to change their neighborhood, town, or city on their own (12% and 8%, respectively). “It’s fair to say that people who see more common ground and reject the narrative of extreme divisions are also more likely to believe democracy works and that their voice matters, at least in their own community,” said Perry
People think governments have a critical role to play in solving problems, but they see more opportunity at the state and local level.
Nearly 2 in 3 respondents (63%) believe the government should do more to solve problems and meet the needs of people, and more than 9 in 10 (92%) believe that the government is most responsible for helping communities solve the need for more housing that is affordable. Only 8% believe it should be left to the private sector or nonprofit organizations. At the same time, people feel divided about what level of government should be addressing these issues: 24% say the federal government, 35% say state government, and 33% say local government
