Reuters/Ipsos poll finds 38% of Americans doubt U.S. will last to 250th anniversary

A Reuters/Ipsos survey released as the United States approaches its 250th anniversary found that 38 percent of Americans do not believe the country will still be a single nation 250 years from now.

The poll, reported Tuesday by The Hill, asked respondents their views on whether the United States will exist as one country in roughly two and a half centuries. An additional share of respondents said they believe the United States will still exist, while the remainder reportedly expressed uncertainty or disagreement, according to the Reuters/Ipsos results summarized in the report.

The findings were released at a moment when anniversary milestones are frequently used by policymakers and civic institutions to discuss longer-term national goals, historical remembrance, and the continuity of federal institutions.

The poll’s reported headline figure stands at odds with what it would mean for long-term institutional planning, including federal governance structures, public finance assumptions, and the continuity of constitutional and regulatory frameworks over many decades.

The survey also reflects a measure of public confidence about the durability of the United States as a single political unit, a question that can intersect with concerns about social cohesion, governance capacity, and future national stability, though the Reuters/Ipsos report as summarized did not attribute the views to specific causes.

The Reuters/Ipsos findings were reported by The Hill on June 16, 2026. Further details about question wording, sampling, margins of error, and demographic breakdowns were not included in the available report summary.

No official government statement or agency record addressing the poll’s results was included in the available reporting, and the survey should be treated as an opinion measure rather than a forecast of future political outcomes.