Americans are divided over U.S. role globally and whether international engagement can solve problems

Americans are divided over the role the United States should play internationally, according to the results of two new Pew Research Center surveys. Around half of U.S. adults (51%) say the U.S. should pay less attention to problems overseas and concentrate on problems at home, while nearly as many (48%) say it’s best for the future of the country to be active in world affairs.

Views on this question have changed little over the past three years, despite the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the COVID-19 pandemic and the shifting list of global issues that Americans perceive as major threats to their country.