The U.S. is in a Leadership Crisis, New Survey Reveals

Results from a U.S. News poll show Americans are largely disappointed in leaders across public service, business, education and health care. 

WASHINGTON, Aug. 12, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Americans are losing trust in institutions and expressing deep dissatisfaction with the state of U.S. leadership across nearly every facet of society, according to a new poll published by U.S. News & World Report and conducted in April of 2025 by The Harris Poll.

The survey explored Americans' views of leadership in public service, business, education and health care, and what qualities they believe define truly effective leaders.

Among the key findings of the survey of 1,500 adults ages 18+:

• Many Americans don't see leaders they aspire to emulate: 77% of survey respondents don't see any public leaders they admire or would want to be like, along with most who say the same about leaders in education (74%), health care (69%) and business (61%).
  
  
• Business leaders are seen as out of touch with the public's values: 82% of adults believe the values held by business leaders don't align with those of everyday Americans. Additionally, 72% of adults agree that the U.S. is experiencing a business leadership crisis.
  
  
• Self-interest and distrust characterize public perceptions of leadership: 85% of Americans believe government officials and community leaders prioritize their own power and influence over the public's interests.
  
  
  • Reflecting this skepticism, around half do not trust the Trump Administration (53%), congressional Republicans (53%) or congressional Democrats (48%) to act in the best interest of the U.S. public.
    
    
• Disappointment in leadership extends across all sectors: Public service drew the most disappointment, cited by 80% of Americans, followed by health care (73%), business (72%) and education (68%).
  • Similarly, 87% of respondents said the U.S. is facing a leadership crisis in public service, the highest among the four categories (79% in education, 79% in healthcare, 72% in business).
    
    
• Americans want their leaders to be trustworthy, honest and ethical: These traits were consistently identified as most important across public service, business, education and health care sectors.
  
  
• Americans see a disconnect between those in power and those who are trusted: While 56% associate leadership with political figures, only 31% consider them trustworthy.
  • 66% of the public trust the Supreme Court to act in the best interest of the American public.

"With Congress on leave for summer recess, this is a timely moment to take a critical look at how Americans view leadership in this country," said Dafna Linzer, U.S. News' editorial director and executive vice president.

"Americans are not only dissatisfied with political leaders - they're disillusioned with leadership across the board. At a time when trust is critical to the functioning of our democracy and institutions, the public is demanding more character, courage and clarity from those in power. Insights offered in this poll provide a data-driven foundation for understanding what Americans value in a leader and recognizing those who meet that standard," Linzer added.

Leadership traits identified as most important by poll respondents, such as trustworthiness and honesty, will be used to inform U.S. News' upcoming Best Leaders in America recognition program. The 2025 honors will spotlight 25 exceptional individuals across public service, business, health care and education who are making a meaningful difference in their communities and across the nation.

The poll was conducted by The Harris Poll online from April 14 - 17, 2025, among a nationally representative sample of 1,500 U.S. adults ages 18+, yielding a margin error of +/- 3.6 percentage points.

A panel of experts in public service, business, health care and education are evaluating submissions for the upcoming 2025 U.S. News Best Leaders. Honorees will be selected based on how closely they reflect the leadership traits most valued by Americans, as revealed in the survey.

For additional insights and analysis, U.S. News has published related content, including a full overview of the survey results.

About U.S. News & World Report
U.S. News & World Report is the global leader for journalism that empowers consumers, citizens, business leaders and policy officials to make confident decisions in all aspects of their lives and communities. A multifaceted media company, U.S. News provides unbiased rankings, independent reporting and analysis, and consumer advice to millions of people on USNews.com each month. A pillar in Washington for more than 90 years, U.S. News is the trusted home for in-depth and exclusive insights on education, health, politics, the economy, personal finance, travel, automobiles, real estate, careers and consumer products and services.

About The Harris Poll
The Harris Poll is a global public opinion, analytics, and market research consultancy that strives to reveal society's authentic values to inspire leaders to create a better tomorrow. With a global research reach of more than ninety countries, Harris offers advisory services across sectors to world leaders, CEOs, and business decision-makers with state-of-the-art analytics, real-time software services, and practitioners in marketing, reputation, customer experience, trends, futures, and thought leadership/research-for-public release, The Harris Poll translates shifting social sentiment into a competitive marketplace advantage. Harris is a Stagwell (NASDAQ: STGW) company. www.theharrispoll.com.

SOURCE U.S. News & World Report, L.P.