Majority of Americans Critical of the United Nations

Most American adults think the United Nations isn’t doing a great job. A recent Gallup opinion poll indicates that 63% of Americans rate the UN’s performance as “poor,” while only 32% believe it’s doing a “good” job.

Interestingly, although 60% of respondents think the UN is necessary, the same poll suggests a divide in opinion: 38% deem the organization essential, while another 38% disagree. This reflects a slightly smaller proportion feeling the UN is necessary compared to previous Gallup polls conducted between 2005 and 2019.

When looking at partisan views, 59% of Republicans expressed that they don’t believe the UN plays a necessary role, in contrast to just 19% of Democrats who feel the same. Among Democrats, 48% rated the UN’s performance as “poor,” while 46% gave it a “good” rating. Meanwhile, a striking 75% of Republicans disapproved of the UN’s activities, with only 21% seeing any merit in its work.

The release of the Gallup survey coincides with the UN’s 80th Annual General Meeting, which will kick off on Tuesday.

In other news, Mike Waltz, who previously served as the national security adviser under former President Donald Trump, has been confirmed as the US ambassador to the United Nations. Trump also announced in July that he had pulled the United States from the UN’s cultural and educational body, UNESCO.

The Gallup Poll results stem from telephone interviews conducted between August 1 and 20, involving a random sample of 1,094 adults aged 18 and older from across the United States. There is a margin of error of plus or minus 4 percentage points at a 95% confidence level.