Public Opinion Polls Detail Approval Ratings and Economic Perceptions for President Trump

Recent public opinion polls, including an NPR/PBS News/Marist survey conducted in December 2024, indicate a decline in approval ratings for President Trump's handling of the economy and his overall job performance. These surveys also detail widespread concerns among Americans regarding prices, affordability, and the general state of the economy, with a majority perceiving the country to be in a recession. Perceptions on these issues show variations across different demographic and political groups.

Presidential Approval Ratings

An NPR/PBS News/Marist poll, conducted from December 8-11, 2024, reported significant shifts in President Trump's approval:

• President Trump's economic approval rating stood at 36%. This marks his lowest approval for economic handling in six years of Marist polling, comparable to President Joe Biden's rating in February 2022.
• His overall job approval rating was 38%, described as the lowest of his second term and since April 2018 in Marist surveys.
• Disapproval of President Trump's overall job performance was notably high, with 50% of registered voters expressing strong disapproval.
• Approval varied by political affiliation: 84% of Republicans approved (a 5-point decrease from the previous month, within the margin of error), while 30% of independents and 8% of Democrats approved.
• Disapproval of his economic performance was observed among 49% of rural residents, 48% of white women without college degrees, and 60% of suburban residents.
• Regarding public trust for economic management, Democrats held a slight advantage over Republicans, with 37% favoring Democrats compared to 33% for Republicans. This represents a shift from 2022, when Republicans had a 16-point advantage.

Analysis by FiftyPlusOne.news indicates a substantial decline in President Trump's net approval rating one year into his second term.

President Trump's net approval rating declined from +5 to -16, a 21-point reduction. This is reported as the largest first-year approval rating decrease for any president since 1948, and the most substantial drop among second-term presidents since Richard Nixon in 1973 (who experienced a 54-point drop during the Watergate scandal).

For comparison, other presidents' first-year second-term approval changes include:

• George W. Bush: -16 points (2005)
• Barack Obama: -19 points (2013)
• Ronald Reagan and Bill Clinton both saw their approval ratings improve in the first year of their second terms.

A CNN poll by SSRS from President Trump's first year in office (specific dates not provided) reported:

• His overall job approval rating was 39%.
• Support was strong among his Republican base (nearly 9 in 10 approved), 29% among independents, and minimal among Democrats. Support from Latinos and adults under 35 reportedly decreased from the beginning of his term.
• Approval ratings for specific issues such as the economy, immigration, foreign policy, federal government management, and healthcare were within a 3-point range of his 39% overall rating.
• Public trust in his priorities declined, with 36% believing he had the right priorities (down from 45% early in his term). 37% thought he prioritized the country's good over personal gain, and one-third felt he cared about people like them.

Public Economic Concerns

The December 2024 NPR/PBS News/Marist poll identified various financial strains for Americans:

• Prices were cited as the leading financial strain by 45% of respondents.
• Other significant concerns included housing (18%), tariffs (15%), and job security (10%).

Approximately two-thirds of respondents (66-67%) expressed concern about the impact of tariffs on their personal finances. This figure was lower than the 81% reported in June, primarily due to a decrease in concern among Republicans (from 70% in June to 38% currently). Majorities of independents and Democrats remained concerned.

A CNN poll from President Trump's first year indicated that the economy was the top concern for Americans, chosen by a nearly two-to-one margin over other issues. Furthermore, a CBS News and YouGov poll (cited in a separate analysis) found that 74% of Americans believed the administration was not focusing enough on high prices.

Perceptions of Recession and Affordability

A majority of Americans perceived the country to be in a recession according to the December 2024 Marist poll.

This perception persisted despite the technical definition of a recession (two consecutive quarters of negative GDP growth) not being met. In November, 64,000 jobs were added, and the unemployment rate was 4.6%.

Perceptions of a recession varied across demographics:

• Latinos were 22 points more likely than white respondents to believe a recession was underway.
• Individuals under 45 years old were 17 points more likely than those over 45 to hold this belief.
• Women were 15 points more likely than men to state the country was in a recession.

Affordability continues to be a major concern:

• Seventy percent of respondents in the December 2024 Marist poll stated their local area was either not very affordable or not affordable at all for the average family, an increase from 45% in June.
• Negative views on affordability reportedly increased sharply among Republicans and independents since June.
• A CNN poll from President Trump's first year indicated that 64% felt he had not done enough to lower everyday prices.

Personal Financial Situations

The December 2024 NPR/PBS News/Marist poll also reported on personal financial circumstances:

• Approximately 60% of individuals believed the economy was not performing well for them personally.
• 35% reported their financial situation worsened in the past year, compared to 21% who said it improved.
• Most Democrats and independents reported a negative personal economic experience, while two-thirds of Republicans reported a positive one.

Demographic disparities in personal economic assessments included:

• 75% of Black respondents and 67% of Latino respondents reported the economy not working for them, compared to 56% of white respondents.
• Among white women without college degrees, 69% indicated the economy was not working for them, contrasting with 51% of white men without college degrees.

Regarding monthly expenses:

• Seven in ten respondents indicated their monthly expenses either matched or exceeded their income. This figure was higher among non-white (77% Black, 78% Latino) and younger populations compared to white respondents (68%).
• Twenty-five percent of respondents, equivalent to approximately 64 million adults, reported consistently accruing debt due to expenses exceeding income. This trend was more pronounced among individuals earning less than $50,000 annually, white women without college degrees, Millennials, Black and Latino individuals, and parents with children under 18.

Satisfaction with savings varied:

• 54% of white individuals were at least somewhat satisfied, compared to 41% of Black individuals and 40% of Latinos.
• 60% of college graduates were satisfied, versus 41% of non-graduates.

A majority (54%) expressed concern about their household's ability to pay for necessary healthcare services in the coming year. This concern was elevated among Black (69%), Latino (65%), low-income (67%), under 45 (61%), and female (61%) respondents.

Outlook for the Future

Approaching the new year, 59% of respondents in the December 2024 Marist poll expressed increased pessimism about the world in 2026.

• Pessimism was more prevalent among Democrats, white women with college degrees, independents, and Latinos.
• Conversely, optimism was higher among Republicans, white evangelical Christians, rural residents, and whites without college degrees (particularly white men).

Overall, 63% of respondents indicated the country was headed in the wrong direction, with similar demographic variations observed. A CNN poll from President Trump's first year indicated that only 4 in 10 respondents expected the economy to improve in the next year, a decrease from 56% prior to his inauguration.

Survey Methodologies

• NPR/PBS News/Marist Poll: Conducted from December 8-11, 2024, surveying 1,440 adults (1,261 registered voters) through live interviews, text, and online methods. The margin of error was +/- 3.2 percentage points for adults and +/- 3.4 percentage points for registered voters.
• CNN Poll by SSRS: Dates and specific methodology for this poll from President Trump's first term were not fully detailed in the provided sources.
• FiftyPlusOne.news Aggregate: This data represents an aggregate of approval ratings, with specific methodologies varying by the polls included in the aggregation.