Report · Culture

Americans are evenly split on whether people can really change

Reading

A narrow majority of Americans (51%) agree that a person's basic character cannot change much, while 49% disagree, according to a May 2026 Verasight survey.

That agreement is mostly mild: somewhat agree is the largest single response at 31%, and only 4% strongly agree. Firm disagreement is just as rare, at 6%.

Topline

response scale

Topline scale

Americans are evenly split on whether people can really change.

Please indicate the extent to which you agree or disagree with the following statement: The kind of person someone is is something very basic about them, and it can't be changed very much.

  • Somewhat agree 31.0%
  • Somewhat disagree 26.2%
  • Disagree 17.0%
  • Agree 15.4%
  • Strongly disagree 6.1%
  • Strongly agree 4.3%

2026 · base n 1,000 · +/- 3.3%

society

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Methodology

Full methodology
Mode
Verasight panel recruited via random address-based sampling, random person-to-person text messaging, and dynamic online targeting
Field dates
2026-05-11 → 2026-05-11
Base (unweighted)
1,000
Margin of error
+/- 3.3%
Module
society

Source

Citation

Verasight SPSP Omnibus Survey #2026-045, fielded May 11-11, 2026, N=1,000 US adults age 18+, +/- 3.3%.

https://reports.verasight.io/r/spsp26

Verasight survey methodology

How Verasight conducts surveys.

This page describes the Verasight general survey contract, separate from how the Data Library packages it. When a wave report is published, its field dates, sample sizes, and module breakdown are listed in that report.

Mode
Verasight panel recruited via random address-based sampling, random person-to-person text messaging, and dynamic online targeting.
Population
US adults age 18+.
Sample design
Surveys are run as omnibus or single-topic waves. Omnibus waves are split into modules with their own respondent set, typically around one thousand respondents per module.
Field window
Each wave specifies its own field dates. Most omnibus waves field across roughly two weeks.
Weighting
Per-module weighting to CPS targets including age, race and ethnicity, sex, income, education, region, and metropolitan status.
Partisanship benchmark
Pew Research Center's NPORS benchmarking surveys, three-year running average.
Vote benchmark
2024 presidential vote population benchmarks.
Margin of error
Typically about plus or minus 3.4 to 3.6 percent per module at standard module sizes. Question-level MoE is recomputed when a base shrinks materially below the module baseline.
Reporting
The canonical report hub is reports.verasight.io. Verified legacy reports remain on their original hosts, and unpublished reports are marked pending.
Transparency
Verasight is a member of the American Association for Public Opinion Research Transparency Initiative.

The canonical report hub is reports.verasight.io; older reports may remain on verified legacy hosts.