U.S. adults are expressing more confidence in how the country is handling illegal drugs, according to a recent Gallup report. However, there are significant partisan factors driving these perceptions.
The survey found that 45% of respondents believe the U.S. has made at least some progress in fighting illegal drug use, up from 24% in 2023. Among Democrats, the share who said progress has been made fell to 33%, down seven percentage points from 40% last year. Republicans are driving the perception of improvement, with 74% saying progress has been made this year—a more than sixfold increase from 12% in 2023.
As is often the case in surveys on crime and other social issues, there are significant gaps between how Americans view the national situation and their local communities.
When asked whether illegal drug use is a serious problem in the country as a whole, 71% said it is. But less than one-third (29%) said it is a problem in their own community.
The perception gap is widest among Republicans: 51% said the drug problem is serious nationally, but only 8% said it is serious where they live. Among Democrats, 22% said the problem is serious nationally, while 10% said their community faces a serious problem.
It’s important to note that perception rarely equates to reality when it comes to illicit drug use and misuse. Because of the wide partisan perception gap, Republican beliefs about illegal drug use may be influenced by rhetoric from former President Donald Trump equating immigration and border enforcement with fighting drugs.
For example, as noted above, only 12% of Republicans believed progress was being made on illegal drug use in 2023. Yet in a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report released earlier this year, the nation saw a 24% decline in drug overdose deaths between 2023 and 2024. This follows earlier declines from a pandemic-era high in 2021.
More information about the Gallup study, including links to the survey methodology and topline results, can be found here.
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