How are Americans feeling these days? Certainly not united. Our nation appears to be indivisible in name only. Even more surprising, a significant number of people have even begun to wonder if the United States of America as we know it will even exist in the future, data from the latest I&I/TIPP Poll shows.

Starting with the Unity Index, the proprietary I&I/TIPP gauge of national harmony, we ask people each month if they feel our common bond remains. They are then given five possible responses: “very united,” “somewhat united,” “somewhat divided,” “very divided” or “unsure.”

For June’s national online I&I/TIPP poll of 1,358 adults, taken from May 31-June 2, just 24% of respondents declared that they felt the U.S. was “united.” Among that group, only 9% said the U.S. was “very united,” while 15% called it “somewhat united.”

But by nearly 3-to-1, 74% of respondents called America “divided.” Of those, 42% said it was “very divided,” while 32% termed it “somewhat divided.”

Only 2% described themselves as “unsure.”

That America is divided might, ironically, be one of the few things that all ideologies and political parties have in common. Substantial majorities of Democrats (34% united, 65% divided), Republicans (18% united, 80% divided), and independents (17%, 79%) agreed.

But what, or who, is to blame? President Joe Biden has repeatedly vowed to pursue a policy of “unity” over division since his inauguration, and even pledged to pursue a “bipartisan unity agenda” in his 2022 federal budget proposal.

Sadly, most Americans don’t see it that way. We asked in this month’s poll the following question: “To what extent do you agree or disagree with the following statement: President Biden’s actions have united the country.”

Just 34% agreed, while 59% disagreed. Another 8% weren’t sure.

But here is where partisan politics clearly shows up. Among Democrats, 53% said Biden’s policies and actions united the country, while 38% disagreed. For GOP members, the equivalent numbers were 16% agree and 81% disagree. Independents came out 25% agree, 67% disagree.

And the long-term index, which allows I&I/TIPP to compare monthly trends over time, shows a clear disparity between Democrats on one side, and Republicans and independents on the other.

Of any broad demographic group, minorities had perhaps the most favorable take for Biden: American blacks and hispanics broke about even on Biden, 44% agree to 46% disagree. Whites, meanwhile, came in at just 28% agreeing Biden had united the country, versus 65% who disagreed.

By gender, Biden seems to have a problem among women. Some 38% of men agreed Biden had united the country, compared to only 29% of women. Male disagreement stood at 55%, compared to 63% for women.

The I&I/TIPP Poll asked a bonus question this month, one intended to perhaps better understand the apparent angst Americans have today about being a unified country: “How likely is it that the United States will exist in its present form 10 years from now?”

The response was disquieting: A bare majority of 51% said it was “likely,” while 34% said it was “unlikely.” Another 15% said they were “unsure.”

Once again, the politics of the respondent made all the difference. Of Democrats, 64% thought America would remain basically the same a decade from now, versus 24% who said it wouldn’t. That compares to 40% of Republicans who thought America would exist in its current form, while a slender majority of 41% didn’t. Independents were deadlocked at 42%-42%.

These data come as Americans on all sides of the political spectrum have wondered out loud in recent years and months whether America could, or even should, hold together given its growing regional, ideological and cultural differences.

A poll taken in September 2021 by the Center for Politics at the University of Virginia discovered that 50% of Donald Trump voters and 40% of Joe Biden voters agreed largely on one thing: That the U.S. should split up, with the blue and red states going their separate ways.

The political cleavages are significant, that poll noted: “A strong majority of Trump voters see no real difference between Democrats and socialists, and a majority of Biden voters at least somewhat agree that there is no real difference between Republicans and fascists.”

Even the solidly establishmentarian Council on Foreign Relations was forced to admit after the 2020 presidential election that “what the election revealed is one country and two nations. They will have to coexist; whether they can work together remains to be seen.”

A YouGov Poll, taken in June 2021, five months after the Jan. 6 demonstrations at the U.S. Capitol, found support for a U.S. breakup was surprisingly high.

“Republicans are most secessionist in the South and Mountain regions whereas it is Democrats on the West Coast and in the Northeast,” according to Bright Line Watch, which sponsored the poll. “In the narrowly divided Heartland region, it is partisan independents who find the idea most attractive.”

Is it true, as the poet Yeats once said, that “Things fall apart; the center cannot hold.” America is undergoing serious social turmoil these days, with voters seemingly unable to come together and agree on anything.

That said, the nation’s founders created a flexible system of government, and we’ve been through periods of severe social stress before — including mass migrations, an Industrial Revolution, a Great Depression and a Civil War. We’re still here, the richest, most powerful nation in history, one guided by what many consider to be the greatest political document ever: Our Constitution.

Will Americans give that up?

I&I/TIPP publishes timely, unique, and informative data each month on topics of public interest. TIPP’s reputation for polling excellence comes from being the most accurate pollster for the past five presidential elections.

Terry Jones is an editor of Issues & Insights. His four decades of journalism experience include serving as national issues editor, economics editor, and editorial page editor for Investor’s Business Daily.

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1. Moscow Says 700,000 Children From Ukraine Conflict Zones Now In Russia – Reuters

On Sunday, the statement was made by Grigory Karasin, head of the international committee in the Federation Council, Russia’s upper house of parliament.

Moscow says its program of bringing children from Ukraine into Russian territory is to protect orphans and children abandoned in the conflict zone.

However, Ukraine says many children have been illegally deported, and the United States says thousands have been forcibly removed from their homes.

2. Germany Denies Ukraine’s Plea For Taurus Missiles To Help Counter Russian Air Power – Al Arabiya

Germany’s Chancellor Olaf Scholz reiterated that his country was against sending its Taurus missiles to Ukraine because it was trying to avoid any German weapon striking Russian territory.

Ukraine had submitted in May a request for Germany’s air-launched cruise missiles.

The UK has supplied Ukraine with Storm Shadow cruise missiles, and France said it would supply the similar SCALP-EGs.

3. EU Weighs Concession To Russian Bank Over Black Sea Grain Deal – Reuters

The European Union is considering a proposal for Russian Agricultural Bank to set up a subsidiary to reconnect to the global financial network as a sop to Moscow, the Financial Times said.

The move aims to safeguard the Black Sea grain deal that lets Ukraine export food to global markets.

The step comes after Russia said it saw no reason to extend the grain deal beyond 17 July, as the West had acted “ outrageous “ over the agreement.

4. Prigozhin’s Media Holding Group To Shut Down – WION

Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin’s controlled media group will shut down. Patriot Media, whose most prominent outlet was the RIA FAN news site, had been providing positive coverage of Wagner.

RIA FAN’s director did not give a reason for the decision.

Last Friday, the Russian newspaper Kommersant reported that Roskomnadzor blocked media outlets linked to Prigozhin without elaborating.

5. Yellen To Visit China This Week In Mission To Help Stabilise Ties – Al Jazeera

Treasury Secretary, Janet Yellen, will visit Beijing this week in the second trip by a top official in a matter of weeks as the world’s two biggest economies try to repair frayed ties.

Yellen is expected to discuss the importance for both countries “to responsibly manage our relationship, communicate directly about areas of concern, and work together to address global challenges,” the Treasury Department statement said.

6. Chinese Army Invasion of Taiwan Not a Given, U.S. General Says – VoA

Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Mark Milley, said that despite well-publicized plans calling for the Chinese military to be ready to invade Taiwan by 2027, there is no indication that Chinese President Xi Jinping has made a decision one way or the other.

Milley’s comments align with analysis from top U.S. intelligence officials, who have argued that Xi would prefer a peaceful reunification with Taiwan.

7. China’s Slow Economic Recovery Expected to Challenge Asia – VoA

China’s recent economic slowdown will have a negative but limited impact on the rest of Asia this year as China struggles to recover from the impact of the global pandemic and COVID restrictions in 2022.

Beijing has set a modest 5% growth target for the country this year. Still, even that may be a challenge because of problems across its economy, said Alicia Garcia Herrero, chief economist for a French investment bank.

8. Labor Unrest Rising In China Amid Plunging Exports – Tibetan Review

While cheap exports have propelled China to the world’s second-largest economy, tumbling exports are now feeding unrest in the country, which has been described as the world’s factory.

Reuters reported that strikes at Chinese factories have surged to a seven-year high and are expected to become more frequent as weak global demand forces exporters to cut workers’ pay and shut down plants.

9. Jack Ma’s Sudden Pakistan Trip Sparks A Buzz: Report – ANI

The Chinese billionaire and co-founder of Alibaba Group was accompanied by a delegation of seven businessmen: five Chinese nationals, one Danish individual, and one U.S. citizen.

There have been various speculations on social media about Ma and his team exploring business opportunities in Pakistan, including visits to trade centers and meetings with prominent businessmen and officials from various chambers of commerce.

10. Sweden Government Condemns ‘Islamophobic’ Quran Burning – Al Jazeera

The condemnation came in response to a call for collective measures to avoid future Quran destruction from the Saudi-based Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC).

On Wednesday, an Iraqi citizen living in Sweden, Salwan Momika, 37, stomped on the holy book and set several pages alight.

11. Israel To Buy F-35 Fighter Jets From U.S. – UPI

Israel will purchase more than two dozen F-35 fighter jets from the U.S. in a deal that will expand the Middle Eastern country’s fleet of the world’s most advanced stealth aircraft by 50%.

The deal for 25 jets is valued at some $3 billion and is to be financed through U.S. aid to Israel, the ministry said in a statement.

12. UK, France, and Germany To Breach Iran Nuclear Deal Over Drone Supplies To Russia: Report – Al Arabiya

The European signatories to the 2015 Iran nuclear deal are preparing to breach the accord by refusing to lift sanctions on Tehran’s missile usage in October as initially specified in the agreement.

European Union and UK diplomats justified this action by citing Iran’s violation of the deal (technically the JCPOA), including its drone sales to Russia for use in its war against Ukraine.

13. Japan, ASEAN To Create Entity For Supporting Free Flow Of Data – Nikkei Asia

Japan and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations will establish a research center that promotes the free flow of data across borders, aiming to counter China’s restrictions by allowing businesses to analyze markets in a wide area.

Plans call for a digital innovation center to begin operations in Jakarta in late August.

14. White House Report Hints At Blocking Sunlight To Prevent Climate Change – NDTV

The White House Office of Science and Technology Policy released a federally mandated report on solar geoengineering. The report says that a designated team has been researching methods to stop the sun’s rays from accelerating global warming.

The report says that the Biden administration is looking into “stratospheric aerosol injection (SAI) and marine cloud brightening.” Additionally, the paper mentions research in “cirrus cloud thinning.”

Republished with permission from TIPP Insights