---
"title": "Think U.S. Should Mind Its Own Business"
"description": "That's the number of Americans who now say that the U.S. should \"mind its own business internationally,\" up from 34% in 2004, and just 30% in 2002."
"date": "2007-01-09"
"authors":
  -
    "name": "Russell Heimlich"
    "job_title": "Former web developer"
    "link": "https://alpha.pewresearch.org/pewresearch-org/staff/russell-heimlich/"
"url": "https://alpha.pewresearch.org/pewresearch-org/short-reads/2007/01/09/think-u-s-should-mind-its-own-business/"
---

# Think U.S. Should Mind Its Own Business

In a December Pew Research Center survey, more than four-in-ten Americans (42%) took the view that the U.S. should “mind its own business internationally,” about the same number as in October 2005, but up significantly from 34% who subscribed to the isolationist view in 2004 and just 30% in 2002.As was the case in 2005, the survey found major socioeconomic and political differences in views on this issue. About half of those with a high school education or less (51%) believe that the U.S. should mind its own business internationally, compared with just a quarter of college graduates. Politically, conservative and moderate Democrats are the only group in which a majority (51%) agrees with this statement. By contrast, conservative Republicans disagree by about three-to-one (73%-24%); views of the other political groups are more mixed. [Read More](https://alpha.pewresearch.org/pewresearch-org/pubs/277/free-trade-agreements-get-a-mixed-review)