---
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://www.pewresearch.org/staff/russell-heimlich/"
url: "https://www.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://www.pewresearch.org/pubs/277/free-trade-agreements-get-a-mixed-review)