Terrifying new poll shows what Americans fear will happen to the country in next 10 years

A new poll has given a terrifying indication of how people in the US are feeling about their country's future.

It's not that long ago that visions of the future brought with them a sense of optimism, with social progress and technology promising that things will get better.

But if a new poll from YouGov analyzing Donald Trump's second term so far is to be believed then that optimism for the future has now been replaced with a sense of dread at what's coming next.

Given that 'once in a generation' disasters feel like they're happening practically on a monthly basis, it's perhaps not difficult to see where that pessimism is coming from.

Climate catastrophe, multiple wars, economic downturn, and terrifying technology are all enough to give many people pause.

A new poll from YouGov has taken a more detailed look at Trump's second presidency as midterms approach, and it paints an alarming picture.

In one section, nearly half of people in the US fear a ‘total economic collapse’ within the next 10 years - and that's not even the worst thing.

The midterms are approaching fast (Alex Wong/Getty Images)

Constitutional crisis

An alarming statistic sees 25 percent of people in the US, made up of 36 percent of Democrats and 9 percent of Republicans, think that there will be a dictator in the US in their lifetime, though 56 percent said it would not.

While the majority say this would be a bad thing, two percent of those surveyed even said that a dictator would be a good thing.

Civil war and economic collapse

Some 42 percent of respondents said that they think there will be 'total economic collapse' within 10 years.

Others however were even more alarming, with 36 percent saying that they think there be civil war in the US with that time, while 35 percent thought the US would gain new territory, and 31 percent saying they thought the US would no longer be a democracy.

But what about Trump's second presidency so far?

One of the polls released by YouGov (YouGov)

Trump's handling of Immigration

This was previously an issue where Trump polled well, with 47 percent of those surveyed saying they thought Trump could be trusted on immigration in March 2025.

One year later and that figure has fallen to 39 percent - and this is still the issue that Trump polls the best on.

Trump's second term has seen massive federal operations, including two US citizens being shot dead by ICE agents in Minnesota.

Words used to describe Trump

Respondents to the poll were asked how much they felt certain words applied to Donald Trump.

The top three on the poll were 'arrogant', which 65 percent of people said applies 'a lot', then 'opportunistic' at 57 percent, and 'reckless', at 56 percent.

Other words after these included 'dishonest', 'corrupt', 'hypocritical', and 'ineffective', and it is not until the 12th place where we see a more positive descriptor in 'a strong leader', which had 38 percent agreeing with.

Trump has dropped in the polls on issues he was strong on (Aaron Schwartz/UPI/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Foreign policy

At 33 percent, this is still Trump's third-highest rating, but the last few months in particular have seen greater global instability after US military actions first in Venezuela, and then in Iran.

Since then, Trump has also made threats against the US' southern neighbour.

The US and Israeli attacks on Iran in particular have resulted in spike in oil prices after Iran blocked oil tankers from passing through the Strait of Hormuz - a choke point which sees 20 percent of global oil passing through.

Spokesperson for the White House Davis Ingle told UNILAD: “What matters most to the American people is having a Commander-in-Chief who takes decisive action to eliminate threats and keep them safe, which is exactly what President Trump is doing with the ongoing successful Operation Epic Fury.

"President Trump campaigned proudly on his promise to deny the Iranian regime the ability to develop a nuclear weapon, which is what this noble operation is seeking to accomplish.

"The President does not make these incredibly important national security decisions based on fluid opinion polls, but on the best interest of the American people.”