Donald Trump speaks during a rally at The Palladium in Carmel, Ind., on May 2. | AP Photo Poll: World-weary Trump backers turn inward

When it comes to the rest of the world, the majority of Donald Trump’s supporters are ready to shut it out for the next four years, if the results from the latest Pew Research Center study released Thursday are any reliable indication.

From economic involvement to concerns about refugees infiltrated by terrorists, the presumptive Republican nominee’s backers appear to be taking their candidate’s message to heart.


About four in 10 Americans (41 percent) said the United States does “too much” to help the world solve its problems. Among Trump supporters, that share jumped to 54 percent.

While a slim plurality of Americans (49 percent to 44 percent) said they think that U.S. involvement in the global economy is a bad thing, rather than one that creates new markets and fosters growth, 65 percent of those backing Trump were negative on that count.

The survey was taken in the middle of April, before the primaries that would ultimately crown Trump the party's presumptive nominee. Even so, those supporting the Manhattan real estate magnate were vocal in expressing their candidate's message to the extreme. Just 49 percent and 46 percent of Ted Cruz and John Kasich voters, respectively, called U.S. economic involvement around the world a bad thing.

More than eight in 10 Republican or Republican-leaning voters who support Trump (85 percent) ranked the refugee crisis as a major threat to the U.S., compared to 74 percent of Republicans, 55 percent of independents and 40 percent of Democrats.

Nearly eight in 10 Trump supporters (78 percent) said they oppose increasing aid to foreign countries, while strong majorities backing Trump also indicated opposition to importing goods from developing countries as well as increasing U.S. companies’ investment in developing countries.

And while a majority of Trump’s supporters (64 percent) said that U.S. participation in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization is a good thing, more than eight in 10 Cruz and Kasich supporters responded with less skepticism about the alliance.

The lack of enthusiasm for global involvement is not reflected in widespread support for military action against the Islamic State. Majorities of all voters, regardless of party or preferred candidate, said they approve of the campaign in Iraq and Syria. And about seven in 10 Trump supporters said they support sending ground troops to the fight, roughly the same proportion as Cruz and Kasich voters.

Pew conducted the survey via landlines and cellphones from April 12 to 19, polling a random sample of 2,008 adults nationwide with an overall margin of error of plus or minus 2.5 percentage points. The sample included Republicans, Democrats, independents and supporters of individual candidates. Among the 303 voters registered or leaning toward the Republican Party who also support Trump, the margin of error is plus or minus 6.4 percentage points.