I think people tend to believe in things that facilitate their ability to thrive. And if there isn't any obvious way to thrive (e.g. the U.S. today, as you've described), then people fall back to believing whatever helps them find community. Which is why we end up with the tribe of Trump, as well as toxic wokeism.
So yes, I think you're right that creating a better society, in which people are confident in their ability to thrive, would help people think more clearly, rather than just going with whatever their tribe says.
But I think people are all also at least a little bit logical, which is why we've seen people move away from traditional monotheistic religion towards things that are more tangible - things from your "secular pantheon", like Wealth and Fame, but also traditional humanist myths, like Freedom and Dignity - which if you think about it, are basically just different words to describe the same goals. Because what, for example, do dignity and fame ultimately represent, other than the desire to be accepted by our community?
We do need to make our governments better at providing for the people, but since we live in a democracy, we can't really make that happen until we get people to agree on what we all want.
And for that, I think we need to start by coming up with a truly logical philosophy, grounded in experiences all humans can share, that acknowledges the shortcomings of both the secular pantheon and traditional humanist myths, and also shows how we can live better if we ditch our old morality myths, and simply work together towards mutual well-being.
I've written several articles trying to encourage such a philosophy:
