q0/random_k2/random_2.md

FOR RELEASE January 29, 2026

Confidence in Trump
Dips, and Fewer Now Say
They Support His
Policies and Plans

Rising share of Democrats want their party’s congressional
leaders to stand up to Trump

BY Hannah Hartig and Jocelyn Kiley

FOR MEDIA OR OTHER INQUIRIES:

Jocelyn Kiley, Director of Political Research
Steven Shepard, Associate Director of Political
Research
Nida Asheer, Senior Communications Manager

202.419.4372

www.pewresearch.org

RECOMMENDED CITATION

Pew Research Center, January 2026, “Confidence in
Trump dips, and fewer now say they support his
policies and plans”

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PEW RESEARCH CENTER

About Pew Research Center

Pew Research Center is a nonpartisan, nonadvocacy fact tank that informs the public about the
issues, attitudes and trends shaping the world. It does not take policy positions. The Center
conducts public opinion polling, demographic research, computational social science research and
other data-driven research. It studies politics and policy; news habits and media; the internet and
technology; religion; race and ethnicity; international affairs; social, demographic and economic
trends; science; research methodology and data science; and immigration and migration. Pew
Research Center is a subsidiary of The Pew Charitable Trusts, its primary funder.

© Pew Research Center 2026

www.pewresearch.org

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PEW RESEARCH CENTER

About this research

This Pew Research Center report looks at how the U.S. public feels about Trump’s job
performance, their expectations for his administration, and their views about whether
congressional leaders should work with each other and the president.

Why did we do this?

Pew Research Center conducted this research to check in on how the public is feeling about the
Trump administration. It is part of our regular work to understand how Americans feel about the
policies, actions and events that occur during the presidency – as well as to understand how
Americans feel about current events.

Our research on presidents dates back to the 1980s, and has continued through the current Trump
administration.

Learn more about Pew Research Center and our politics research.

How did we do this?

We conducted a survey from January 20 through January 26, 2026 among 8,512 U.S. adults
recruited through our American Trends panel.

Here are the survey questions used for this report, the detailed responses and
the survey methodology.

www.pewresearch.org

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PEW RESEARCH CENTER

Confidence in Trump dips, a
they support his policies and plans
Rising share of Democrats want their party
to stand up to  Trump

nd  fewer now say

’s congressional leaders

By Hannah Hartig and Jocelyn Kiley

A year into his second administration,
Americans’ views of President Donald Trump –
already more negative than positive – have
continued to slip.

Half of Americans say Trump’s actions
have been worse than they expected

% who ___ of the way Donald Trump is handling his job
as president

▪  Trump’s approval rating stands at 37%,

down from 40% in the fall.

Approve

Disapprove

37

61

▪  By more than two-to-one, Americans say
the administration’s actions have been
worse than they expected (50%) rather than
better (21%).

▪  Only about a quarter of Americans today
(27%) say they support all or most of
Trump’s policies and plans, down from 35%
when he returned to office last year. That
change has come entirely among
Republicans.

% who say the Trump administration’s actions since
taking office last year have been ___ expected

Better than

About as

Worse than

21

28

50

% who support ___ of Donald Trump’s policies and
plans

All/Most

Some

Few/None

27

20

52

A new Pew Research Center survey of 8,512
U.S. adults, conducted Jan. 20-26, also finds
that – across six key qualities and abilities
needed to serve as president – more Americans
express little or no confidence in Trump than say they are extremely or very confident in him.

PEW RESEARCH CENTER

Note: No answer responses are not shown.
Source: Survey of U.S. adults conducted Jan. 20-26, 2026.

Confidence is down on all six measures since last year, particularly among Republicans.

Related: How Americans See Immigration Officers’ Behaviors and Civilian Actions

www.pewresearch.org

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PEW RESEARCH CENTER

Trump’s qualities and abilities as president

Today, 34% of Americans say
they are extremely or very
confident that Trump has the
leadership skills needed to
serve as president. A larger
share (51%) are not too or not
at all confident. Another 14%
are somewhat confident.

Similarly, about half say they
are not too or not at all
confident Trump has the
mental fitness (52%) or
physical fitness (50%) to do
the job. Roughly three-in-ten
express confidence on these
measures.

Many Americans lack confidence in Trump on several
measures, including his ethics in office

% who say, thinking about the qualities needed to serve as president, they
are ___ confident that Donald Trump …

No answer responses are not shown.
Source: Survey of U.S. adults conducted Jan. 20-26, 2026.

PEW RESEARCH CENTER

Even fewer say they are confident that Trump respects the country’s democratic values (25% are
extremely or very confident) or that he picks good advisers (25%).

Americans express the least amount of confidence in Trump to act ethically in office. Just 21% are
extremely or very confident he does this, while 60% express little or no confidence.

www.pewresearch.org

While overall confidence in
Trump’s ethics in office was
already relatively low last
February (29%), it has
declined 8 percentage points
since. And nearly all of that
drop has come among
Republicans: At the
beginning of Trump’s second
term, a 55% majority of
Republicans and Republican-
leaning independents said
they were confident that
Trump acts ethically in office,
but that share now stands at
42%.

5

PEW RESEARCH CENTER

Republican confidence in Trump to respect country’s
democratic values, act ethically in office declines

% who say, thinking about the qualities needed to serve as president, they are
extremely/very confident that Donald Trump …

Source: Survey of U.S. adults conducted Jan. 20-26, 2026.

PEW RESEARCH CENTER

There’s a similar pattern
across all six qualities we asked about.

For example, 60% of Republicans said last February that they were extremely or very confident
Trump respects the country’s democratic values – it’s 52% today. And while 66% of Republicans
say he has the mental fitness to do the job, that’s down from three-quarters last year.

Democrats’ confidence in Trump on these measures remains very low.

For full trend on each of the qualities asked on the survey, refer to chart appendix.

www.pewresearch.org

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PEW RESEARCH CENTER

Support for Trump’s policies

There has also been a significant decline over
the last year in the share of adults who say they
agree with Trump’s plans and policies.

Republican support for Trump’s agenda
has declined over the last year

% who say they support all/most of Donald Trump’s
plans and policies

▪  Last year, 35% said they supported all or
most of his plans, 17% supported some of
them and 47% supported only a few or
none.

▪  Today, 27% say they support all or most,

20% support some and 52% support few or
none.

The decline in support has come
exclusively among Republicans. Last
year, 67% said they supported all or most
of Trump’s plans and policies. Today, 56% do.

Source: Survey of U.S. adults conducted Jan. 20-26, 2026.

PEW RESEARCH CENTER

Very small shares of Democrats say they support his policies. Most (87%) support only a few or
none.

Related: Few Americans support Trump’s proposed takeover of Greenland.

For full trend details, refer to the appendix.

www.pewresearch.org

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PEW RESEARCH CENTER

Republicans increasingly say GOP
members of Congress aren’t obligated to
support Trump if they disagree with him

% of Rep/Lean Rep who say Republicans in Congress …

Do Republicans in Congress have an
obligation to support Trump?

Today, 38% of Republicans and Republican-
leaning independents say that congressional
Republicans “have an obligation to support
Trump’s policies and programs because he is a
Republican president.” But a far larger share
(61%) say GOP members of Congress do not
have an obligation to support Trump if they
disagree with him.

The share saying Republicans in Congress do
not have this obligation is up since last year,
from 55%.

Note: No answer responses are not shown.
Source: Survey of U.S. adults conducted Jan. 20-26, 2026.

PEW RESEARCH CENTER

www.pewresearch.org

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PEW RESEARCH CENTER

Other key findings from the survey

Democrats increasingly say their congressional
leaders should stand up to Trump on their issues

% of Rep/Lean Rep who say
Donald Trump should …

% of Dem/Lean Dem who say
Democratic congressional leaders
should …

▪  Democrats

overwhelmingly say
their congressional
leadership should
stand up to Trump.
Today, 82% (up from 70%
last year) want to see their
leaders pushing back
against Trump, even if that
makes it harder to address
problems. A smaller
majority of Republicans
(61%) say Trump should
stand up to Democratic
leaders. This is similar to
their views a year ago.

▪  Nearly half of

Note: No answer responses are not shown.
Source: Survey of U.S. adults conducted Jan. 20-26, 2026.

PEW RESEARCH CENTER

Americans (47%) now
say Trump will be an
unsuccessful president
in the long term. This share is up 14 points since last year, with most of this change
occurring among Democrats. A majority of Republicans continue to say Trump will be
successful in the long run.

▪  Trump’s approval among Republicans is now 73% – down slightly since

September. Older Americans, White adults and those without a college degree continue to
approve of his performance more than others. See detailed tables for additional demographic
breaks.

www.pewresearch.org

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PEW RESEARCH CENTER

Appendix: Additional charts

Confidence in Trump on several key qualities and
abilities needed to serve as president

% who say, thinking about the qualities needed to serve as president, they are
extremely/very confident that Donald Trump …

Source: Survey of U.S. adults conducted Jan. 20-26, 2026.

PEW RESEARCH CENTER

www.pewresearch.org

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PEW RESEARCH CENTER

Will Trump be a successful president in the long term?

% who say Donald Trump will be a(n) ___ president in the long run

Note: No answer responses are not shown.
Source: Survey of U.S. adults conducted Jan. 20-26, 2026.

PEW RESEARCH CENTER

Have the Trump administration’s actions since taking
office in 2025 been better or worse than expected?

% who say the Trump administration’s actions since taking office last year
have been ___ expected

Note: No answer responses are not shown.
Source: Survey of U.S. adults conducted Jan. 20-26, 2026.

PEW RESEARCH CENTER

www.pewresearch.org

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PEW RESEARCH CENTER

Public support for Trump’s policies and plans

% who say they support ___ of Donald Trump’s policies and plans

Note: No answer responses are not shown.
Source: Survey of U.S. adults conducted Jan. 20-26, 2026.

PEW RESEARCH CENTER

www.pewresearch.org

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PEW RESEARCH CENTER

Trump’s approval rating in first year of
his second term

% who approve of the way Donald Trump is handling
his job as president

84

Rep/Lean Rep

80

75

78

74

Total

47

40

41

38 40

Dem/Lean Dem

10

7

7

6

6

73

37

5

Feb '25

Jan '26

Source: Survey of U.S. adults conducted Jan. 20-26, 2026.

PEW RESEARCH CENTER

www.pewresearch.org

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PEW RESEARCH CENTER

Acknowledgments

This report is a collaborative effort based on the input and analysis of the following individuals:

Research team

Communications and editorial

Jocelyn Kiley, Director, Political Research
Steven Shepard, Associate Director, Political
Research
Hannah Hartig, Senior Researcher
Baxter Oliphant, Senior Researcher
Gabe Borelli, Research Associate
Andrew Daniller, Research Associate
Andy Cerda, Research Analyst
Joseph Copeland, Research Analyst
Shanay Gracia, Research Analyst
Ted Van Green, Research Analyst

Nida Asheer, Senior Communications
Manager
Maya Pottinger, Communications Associate
David Kent, Senior Editorial Specialist
Anna Jackson, Editorial Specialist

Graphic design and web publishing

Peter Bell, Associate Director, Design and
Production
Alissa Scheller, Senior Information Graphics
Designer
Reem Nadeem, Digital Producer
Beshay Sakla, Associate Digital Producer

Methodology

Andrew Mercer, Senior Research
Methodologist
Dorene Asare-Marfo, Senior Panel Manager
Dana Popky, Associate Panel Manager
Arnold Lau, Research Methodologist

www.pewresearch.org

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PEW RESEARCH CENTER

Methodology

The American Trends Panel

survey  methodology

Overview

Data in this report comes from Wave 185 of the American Trends Panel (ATP), Pew Research
Center’s nationally representative panel of randomly selected U.S. adults. The survey was
conducted from  Jan. 20 to Jan. 26, 2026. A total of 8,512 panelists responded out of 9,302 who
were sampled, for a survey-level response rate of 92%.

The cumulative response rate accounting for all stages of nonresponse and attrition is 3%. The
break-off rate among panelists who logged on to the survey and completed at least one item is 2%.
The margin of sampling error for the full sample of 8,512 respondents is plus or minus 1.4
percentage points.

The survey includes oversamples of non-Hispanic Asian adults and adults ages 18-to-29 in order
to provide more precise estimates of the opinions and experiences of these smaller demographic
subgroups. These oversampled groups are weighted back to reflect their correct proportions in the
population.

SSRS conducted the survey for Pew Research Center via online (n=8,272) and live telephone
(n=240) interviewing. Interviews were conducted in both English and Spanish.

To learn more about the ATP, read “About the American Trends Panel.”

Panel recruitment

Since 2018, the ATP has used address-based sampling (ABS) for recruitment. A study cover letter
and a pre-incentive are mailed to a stratified, random sample of households selected from the U.S.
Postal Service’s Computerized Delivery Sequence File. This Postal Service file has been estimated
to cover 90% to 98% of the population.1 Within each sampled household, the adult with the next
birthday is selected to participate. Other details of the ABS recruitment protocol have changed
over time but are available upon request.2 Prior to 2018, the ATP was recruited using landline and
cellphone random-digit-dial surveys administered in English and Spanish.

1 AAPOR Task Force on Address-based Sampling. 2016. “AAPOR Report: Address-based Sampling.”
2 Email pewsurveys@pewresearch.org.

www.pewresearch.org

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PEW RESEARCH CENTER

A national sample of U.S. adults has been recruited to the ATP approximately once per year since
2014. In some years, the recruitment has included additional efforts (known as an “oversample”)
to improve the accuracy of data for underrepresented groups. For example, Hispanic adults, Black
adults and Asian adults were oversampled in 2019, 2022 and 2023, respectively.

Sample design

The overall target population for this survey was noninstitutionalized persons ages 18 and older
living in the United States. It featured a stratified random sample from among ATP members who
previously completed Wave 183. Non-Hispanic Asian adults and adults ages 18 to 29 were selected
with certainty. The remaining panelists were sampled at rates designed to ensure that the share of
respondents in each stratum is proportional to its share of the U.S. adult population to the greatest
extent possible. Respondent weights are adjusted to account for differential probabilities of
selection as described in the Weighting section below.

Questionnaire development and testing

The questionnaire was developed by Pew Research Center in consultation with SSRS. The web
program used for online respondents was rigorously tested on both PC and mobile devices by the
SSRS project team and Pew Research Center researchers. The SSRS project team also populated
test data that was analyzed in SPSS to ensure the logic and randomizations were working as
intended before launching the survey.

Incentives

All respondents were offered a post-paid incentive for their participation. Respondents could
choose to receive the post-paid incentive in the form of a check or gift code to Amazon.com,
Target.com or Walmart.com.  Incentive amounts ranged from $5 to $20 depending on whether the
respondent belongs to a part of the population that is harder or easier to reach. Differential
incentive amounts were designed to increase panel survey participation among groups that
traditionally have low survey response propensities.

Data collection protocol

The data collection field period for this survey was Jan. 20 to Jan. 26, 2026. Surveys were
conducted via self-administered web survey or by live telephone interviewing.

www.pewresearch.org

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PEW RESEARCH CENTER

For panelists who take surveys online:3 Postcard notifications were mailed to a subset on
Jan. 20.4 Survey invitations were sent out in two separate launches: soft launch and full launch.
Sixty panelists were included in the soft launch, which began with an initial invitation sent on Jan.
20. All remaining English- and Spanish-speaking sampled online panelists were included in the
full launch and were sent an invitation on Jan. 21.

Invitation and reminder dates for web respondents,
ATP Wave

Soft launch

Jan. 20, 2026

Jan. 22, 2026

Jan. 24, 2026

Full launch

Jan. 21, 2026

Jan. 22, 2026

Jan. 24, 2026

Initial invitation

First reminder

Final reminder

PEW RESEARCH CENTER

Panelists participating online were sent an email invitation and up to two email reminders if they
did not respond to the survey. ATP panelists who consented to SMS messages were sent an SMS
invitation with a link to the survey and up to two SMS reminders.

For panelists who take surveys over the phone with a live interviewer: Prenotification
postcards were mailed on Jan. 16. Soft launch took place on Jan. 20 and involved dialing until a
total of four interviews had been completed. All remaining English- and Spanish-speaking
sampled phone panelists’ numbers were dialed throughout the remaining field period. Panelists
who take surveys via phone can receive up to six calls from trained SSRS interviewers.

Data quality checks

To ensure high-quality data, Center researchers performed data quality checks to identify any
respondents showing patterns of satisficing. This includes checking for whether respondents left
questions blank at very high rates or always selected the first or last answer presented. As a result
of this checking, two ATP respondents were removed from the survey dataset prior to weighting
and analysis.

3 The ATP does not use routers or chains in any part of its online data collection protocol, nor are they used to direct respondents to additional
surveys.
4 Postcard notifications for web panelists are sent to 1) panelists who were recruited within the last two years and 2) panelists recruited prior
to the last two years who opt to continue receiving postcard notifications.

www.pewresearch.org

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PEW RESEARCH CENTER

American Trends Panel weighting dimensions

Variable
Age (detailed)
Age x Gender
Education x Gender
Education x Age
Race/Ethnicity x Education
Race/Ethnicity x Gender
Race/Ethnicity x Age
Born inside vs. outside the U.S. among
Hispanics and Asian Americans
Years lived in the U.S.
Census region x Metropolitan status

Volunteerism

Frequency of internet use
Religious affiliation
Party affiliation x Race/Ethnicity
Party affiliation x Age

Validated 2024 presidential election
turnout and vote choice

Benchmark source

2023 American Community Survey
(ACS)

2023 CPS Volunteering & Civic Life
Supplement
2025 National Public Opinion
Reference Survey (NPORS)

Candidate vote share is based on
official results from the Federal
Election Commission. Turnout is
based on estimates from the Election
Lab at the University of Florida. The
size of the voting-eligible population is
based on the 2023 ACS.

Note: Estimates from the ACS are based on noninstitutionalized adults. For weighting to the
2024 presidential election results, panelists are considered validated voters if their self-
report of having voted was confirmed after matching to a national voter registry.

PEW RESEARCH CENTER

Weighting

The ATP data is weighted in a
process that accounts for
multiple stages of sampling and
nonresponse that occur at
different points in the panel
survey process. First, each
panelist begins with a base
weight that reflects their
probability of recruitment into
the panel. These weights are
then calibrated to align with the
population benchmarks in the
accompanying table to correct
for nonresponse to recruitment
surveys and panel attrition. If
only a subsample of panelists
was invited to participate in the
wave, this weight is adjusted to
account for any differential
probabilities of selection.
Because respondents to this
wave were sampled from
among respondents to Wave
183, the weights were also
adjusted to account for
nonresponse to Wave 183.

Among the panelists who completed the survey, this weight is then calibrated again to align with
the population benchmarks identified in the accompanying table and trimmed at the 1st and 99th
percentiles to reduce the loss in precision stemming from variance in the weights. Sampling errors
and tests of statistical significance take into account the effect of weighting.

www.pewresearch.org

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PEW RESEARCH CENTER

The following table shows the unweighted sample sizes and the error attributable to sampling that
would be expected at the 95% level of confidence for different groups in the survey.

Sample sizes and margins of error, ATP Wave 185

Group
Total sample

   Half form

Rep/Lean Rep

   Half form

Dem/Lean Dem

   Half form

Unweighted
sample size
8,512

At least 4,250

3,913

At least 1,953

4,343

At least 2,164

Weighted %

46%

48%

Plus or minus …
1.4 percentage points

2.0 percentage points

2.1 percentage points

3.0 percentage points

2.0 percentage points

2.8 percentage points

Note: This survey includes oversamples of non-Hispanic Asian adults and adults ages 18-to-29 respondents. Unweighted
sample sizes do not account for the sample design or weighting and do not describe a group’s contribution to weighted
estimates. See the Sample design and Weighting sections above for details.

PEW RESEARCH CENTER

Sample sizes and sampling errors for other subgroups are available upon request. In addition to
sampling error, one should bear in mind that question wording and practical difficulties in
conducting surveys can introduce error or bias into the findings of opinion polls.

www.pewresearch.org

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PEW RESEARCH CENTER

Dispositions and response rates

Final dispositions, ATP Wave 185

Completed interview

Logged in (web) / Contacted (CATI), but did not complete any items

Started survey; broke off before completion

Never logged on (web) / Never reached on phone (CATI)

Survey completed after close of the field period

Other non-interview

Completed interview but was removed for data quality

Total panelists sampled for the survey

Completed interviews

Partial interviews

Refusals

Non-contact

Other

Unknown household

Unknown other

Not eligible

Total

AAPOR RR1 = I / (I+P+R+NC+O+UH+UO)

PEW RESEARCH CENTER

Cumulative response rate, ATP Wave 185

Weighted response rate to recruitment surveys

% of recruitment survey respondents who agreed to join the
panel, among those invited
% of those agreeing to join who were active panelists at start of
Wave 185

Response rate to Wave 183 survey

Response rate to Wave 185 survey

Cumulative response rate

PEW RESEARCH CENTER

© Pew Research Center 2025

www.pewresearch.org

Total

8,512

145

100

541

0

2

2

9,302

8,514

0

245

541

4

0

0

0

9,302

92%

AAPOR code

1.1

2.11

2.12

2.20

2.27

2.30

2.90

I

P

R

NC

O

UH

UO

NE

Total

12%

74%

40%

92%

92%

3%

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PEW RESEARCH CENTER

2026 PEW RESEARCH CENTER’S AMERICAN TRENDS PANEL
WAVE 185 POLITICS JANUARY SURVEY
FINAL TOPLINE
January 20-26, 2026
N=8,512

Note: This survey was conducted primarily online, with some interviews conducted by live telephone. This
topline shows the programming language for online administration. For details on how questions were slightly
modified for phone administration, visit the questionnaire.

American Trends Panel surveys conducted between October 2016 and June 2024 were conducted fully online
(with tablets and data plans provided to adults without home internet). American Trends Panel surveys
conducted prior to October 2016 were conducted primarily online, with some respondents completing by mail.
For additional details, visit the Methodology.

* ”No answer” includes web respondents who do not answer the question as well as telephone respondents
who refuse to answer or who say that they don’t know how to answer. In cases where “not sure” was offered
as an explicit option to web and telephone respondents, the “no answer” category includes only web skips and
telephone refusals.

ASK FORM 1 ONLY [N=4,250]:
SATIS  All in all, are you satisfied or dissatisfied with the way things are going in this country today?

Jan 20-26, 2026
Oct 6-16, 2025
Aug 4-10, 2025
Apr 28-May 4, 2025
Mar 10-16, 2025
Jan 27-Feb 2, 2025
Nov 12-17, 2024
Sep 30-Oct 6, 2024
Aug 5-11, 2024
Jul 1-7, 2024
May 13-19, 2024
Jan 16-21, 2024
Nov 27-Dec 3, 2023
Jul 10-16, 2023
Jun 5-11, 2023
Mar 27-Apr 2, 2023
Jan 18-24, 2023
Nov 16-27, 2022
Oct 10-16, 2022
Aug 1-14, 2022
Apr 25-May 1, 2022
Jan 10-17, 2022
Sep 20-26, 2021
Sep 13-19, 2021
Mar 1-7, 2021
Nov 12-17, 2020
Sep 30-Oct 5, 2020
Jul 27-Aug 2, 2020

Satisfied
29
27
34
32
34
38
29
23
24
18
22
21
22
22
21
19
22
24
21
18
24
21
25
26
33
22
18
12

Dissatisfied
69
72
65
67
65
61
70
76
75
82
78
78
77
77
78
80
78
75
79
81
75
78
74
74
66
77
82
87

No answer*
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
*
1
*
1
1
1
1
1
1
*
1
1
1
1
1
1
*
1
1
1
1

www.pewresearch.org

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PEW RESEARCH CENTER

SATIS CONTINUED …

Jun 16-22, 2020
Apr 7-12, 2020
Mar 19-24, 2020
Oct 29-Nov 11, 2019
Oct 1-13, 2019
Jul 22-Aug 4, 2019
Nov 27-Dec 10, 2018
Jan 29-Feb 13, 2018
Feb 28-Mar 12, 20175
Sep 27-Oct 10, 2016
Jun 7-Jul 5, 2016
Sep 15-Oct 3, 2014

Satisfied
12
31
33
31
28
27
34
36
32
23
19
25

Dissatisfied
87
68
66
69
71
72
65
63
68
75
80
75

No answer*
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
*
2
1
*

ASK FORM 2 ONLY [N=4,262]:
YEARAHEAD

Looking ahead, as far as you are concerned, do you think that 2026 will be …
[ROTATE RESPONSE OPTIONS 1-2/2-1]

Better than 2025  Worse than 2025

Jan 20-26, 2026
Jan 27-Feb 2, 2025
Jan 16-21, 2024
Jan 18-24, 2023
Jan 10-17, 2022
Jan 8-12, 2021
Jan 6-19, 2020

50
55
55
57
61
67
55

48
45
45
43
38
32
43

No answer*
1
*
1
*
1
1
2

PHONE TREND FOR COMPARISON:
Looking ahead, as far as you are concerned, do you think that [coming year] will be better or worse
than [prior year]?

Jan 8-13, 2020
Jan 9-14, 2019
Jan 10-15, 2018
Jan 4-9, 2017
Jan 7-14, 2016
Dec 3-7, 2014 (U)
Jan 15-19, 2014
Dec 5-9, 2012
Jan 11-16, 2012
Dec 1-5, 2010
Jan 6-10, 2010
Jan 7-11, 2009
December, 2007
December, 2006
December, 1999
December, 1998
December, 1994
Gallup: December, 1993

Better
55
47
61
49
56
49
56
55
57
55
67
52
50
57
66
59
59
64

Worse
34
43
29
42
30
42
35
36
29
31
26
37
34
28
19
25
28
20

(VOL.)
DK/Ref
11
10
11
9
14
9
9
9
14
14
8
11
16
15
15
16
13
16

1

The W24.5 Mode Study survey was administered by web and phone. Results reported here are from web mode only.

www.pewresearch.org

22

PEW RESEARCH CENTER

PHONE TREND FOR COMPARISON CONTINUED

Gallup: December, 1992
Gallup: December, 1991
Gallup: December, 1990
Gallup: December, 1986
Gallup: December, 1985
Gallup: December, 1984
Gallup: December, 1982
Gallup: December, 1981

Better
61
61
48
53
64
61
50
41

Worse
11
31
42
25
20
20
32
44

(VOL.)
DK/Ref
28
8
10
22
17
19
18
15

ASK ALL:
POL1DT
ASK IF ANSWERED POL1DT (POL1DT=1,2) [N=8,378]:
POL1DTSTR

Do you approve or disapprove of the way Donald Trump is handling his job as president?

Do you [IF POL1DT=1: approve; IF POL1DT=2: disapprove] of the way Donald Trump is
handling his job as president…

NET
Approve

Very
strongly

Not so
strongly

No
answer*

NET
Disapprove

Very
strongly

Not so
strongly

No
answer*

No
answer*

Trump Second Term
Jan 20-26, 2026
Sep 22-28, 2025
Aug 4-10, 2025
Jun 2-8, 2025
Apr 7-13, 2025
Jan 27-Feb 2, 2025

Trump First Term
Jan 8-12, 2021
Jul 27-Aug 2, 2020
Jun 16-22, 2020
Apr 7-12, 2020
Mar 19-24, 2020
Jan 6-19, 2020
Sep 3-15, 2019
Jul 22-Aug 4, 2019
Apr 29-May 13, 2019
Feb 4-17, 2019
Nov 7-13, 2018
Sep 24-Oct 7, 2018
Jul 30-Aug 12, 2018
Jan 29-Feb 13, 2018
Aug 8-21, 2017
Apr 4-18, 2017
Feb 28-Mar 12, 20176

37
40
38
41
40
47

29
38
39
44
45
40
40
40
40
38
41
38
40
38
36
39
44

27
29
27
30
31
37

21
n/a
29
33
34
31
31
n/a
29
n/a
n/a
n/a
31
29
26
27
30

10
10
11
11
9
9

7
n/a
9
10
10
9
9
n/a
10
n/a
n/a
n/a
9
9
10
12
13

*
1
*
*
*
*

*
n/a
1
1
1
*
*
n/a
*
n/a
n/a
n/a
*
*
*
*
*

61
58
60
58
59
51

68
59
59
53
52
58
58
59
59
61
58
61
59
60
63
61
56

49
47
47
46
48
40

56
n/a
48
42
40
46
46
n/a
48
n/a
n/a
n/a
48
48
49
45
43

12
11
13
12
10
11

12
n/a
11
11
11
11
11
n/a
10
n/a
n/a
n/a
10
12
13
15
12

*
*
*
*
*
*

*
n/a
*
*
*
1
1
n/a
*
n/a
n/a
n/a
*
*
*
*
*

2
2
2
1
1
2

3
3
2
3
2
1
1
1
1
1
1
2
2
2
1
1
1

See past presidents’ approval trends: Joe Biden, Barack Obama, George W. Bush, Bill Clinton

6

The W24.5 Mode Study survey was administered by web and phone. Results reported here are from web mode only.

www.pewresearch.org

23

PEW RESEARCH CENTER

ASK ALL:
DTSUCCESS

Jan 20-26,
2026
31
47
21
1

In the long run, do you think Donald Trump will be…
[ROTATE RESPONSE OPTIONS 1-2/2-1, HOLDING 3 LAST]

A successful president
An unsuccessful president
Too early to tell
No answer*

Jan 27-Feb 2,
2025
35
33
31
1

Jan 6-19,
2020
34
48
18
1

TREND FOR COMPARISON:
In the long run, do you think Joe Biden will be…

A successful president
An unsuccessful president
Too early to tell
No answer

Jan 8-12,
2021
29
26
44
1

PHONE TREND FOR COMPARISON
In the long run, do you think Donald Trump will be a successful or unsuccessful president, or do you
think it is too early to tell?

Successful

Unsuccessful

Too early
to tell

(VOL.)
DK/Ref

Trump
Jan 8-13, 2020
Jan 9-14, 2019
Jan 10-15, 2018
Jan 4-9, 2017
Obama
Jan 7-14, 2016
Jan 7-11, 2015
Jan 15-19, 2014
Jun 12-16, 2013
Jan 9-13, 2013
Jan 11-16, 2012
Jan 5-9, 2011
Jan 6-10, 2010
Sep 30-Oct 4, 2009
Jan 7-11, 2009
Bush
January, 2007
January, 2006
Early October, 2005
January, 2005
December, 2003
Early October, 2002
January, 2001
Clinton
January, 1999
Early September, 1998
February, 1995
October, 1994
May, 1994
January, 1994
October, 1993
September, 1993
August, 1993

36
29
23
21

37
32
28
34
33
27
25
24
27
30

24
27
26
36
39
40
26

44
38
18
14
21
21
18
22
13

37
47
41
20

34
38
34
31
26
32
26
21
18
4

45
37
41
27
20
15
15

24
24
34
35
26
19
25
22
25

26
23
34
58

26
29
35
33
39
39
47
52
54
65

27
32
30
35
38
44
58

29
35
43
48
52
57
56
54
60

1
1
1
1

3
2
3
2
2
2
2
3
2
1

4
4
3
2
3
1
1

3
3
5
3
1
3
1
2
2

www.pewresearch.org

24

PEW RESEARCH CENTER

ASK ALL:
QUALPRES_TRMP

Thinking about the qualities needed to serve as president, how confident are you that
Donald Trump…7
[ROTATE RESPONSE OPTIONS 1-5/5-1]

Extremely
confident

Very
confident

Somewhat
confident

Not too
confident

Not at all
confident

No
answer*

MF

Has the mental fitness
needed to do the job
  Jan 20-26, 2026
  Jan 27-Feb 2, 20258
  Apr 8-14, 2024

▪

PHY  ▪  Has the physical fitness

needed to do the job
  Jan 20-26, 2026
  Jan 27-Feb 2, 20259
  Apr 8-14, 2024

▪
▪
▪

FIRM

ASK FORM 1 ONLY [N=4,250]
Has the leadership skills
needed to do the job
Jan 20-26, 2026
Jan 27-Feb 2, 2025

RSP

Respects the country’s
democratic values
Jan 20-26, 2026
Jan 27-Feb 2, 2025
Apr 8-14, 2024

 ASK FORM 2 ONLY [N=4,262]
ADV

Picks good advisers
  Jan 20-26, 2026
  Jan 27-Feb 2, 202510
  Apr 8-14, 2024

▪
▪
▪

ETHETH

Acts ethically in office

Jan 20-26, 2026
Jan 27-Feb 2, 2025
Apr 8-14, 2024

17
23
20

12
17
15

19
25

13
17
17

11
16
11

9
15
11

15
17
15

15
18
18

15
15

12
14
13

14
15
14

12
13
12

16
16
17

22
24
26

14
16

15
16
16

18
18
22

18
17
17

14
14
15

19
17
17

14
13

15
14
12

17
14
15

15
14
14

37
30
32

31
24
23

36
30

43
39
41

40
37
37

45
40
45

*
*
*

1
1
*

*
*

1
*
1

1
1
1

1
*
1

7

8
9
10

Prior to January 2026, question was worded: “Thinking about the qualities needed to effectively serve another term
as president, how confident are you that Donald Trump…”
Prior to January 2026, the word “mental” was not underlined.
Prior to January 2026, the word “physical” was not underlined.
Prior to January 2026, the word “advisers” was spelled “advisors.”

www.pewresearch.org

25

PEW RESEARCH CENTER

ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS HELD FOR FUTURE RELEASE

ASK FORM 1 ONLY [N=4,250]:
Thinking about important issues facing the country today…

TRUMPISSUE1   Overall, would you say you tend to agree with Donald Trump on…

[ROTATE RESPONSE OPTIONS 1-4/4-1]

Jan 20-26,
2026
13
27
22
37
1

All or nearly all issues
Many, but not all issues
A few issues
No or almost no issues
No answer*

PHONE TREND FOR COMPARISON:

Jul 1-7,
2024
16
25
23
35
1

Feb 4-15,
2020
19
23
23
34
1

Apr 25-May 1
2018
19
22
24
33
2

Aug 15-21
2017
15
18
21
45
1

ASK FORM 1 ONLY [N=4,250]:
TRUMPISSUE2   Now thinking not about issues, but just about the way Donald Trump conducts himself as

president, would you say you...
[ROTATE RESPONSE OPTIONS 1-3/3-1]

Jan 20-26,
2026
16

32

51

1

Like the way he conducts
himself
Have mixed feelings about the
way he conducts himself
Don’t like the way he conducts
himself
No answer*

Jul 1-7,
202411
13

Feb 4-15,
202012
15

32

54

1

30

53

3

PHONE TREND FOR COMPARISON:

Apr 25-May 1
2018

Aug 15-21
2017

19

26

54

2

16

25

58

1

ASK FORM 2 ONLY [N=4,262]:
NEWPRES_SUPP

How many of Donald Trump’s policies and plans would you say you support?
[ROTATE RESPONSE OPTIONS 1-5/5-1]

Jan 20-26,
2026
6
22
20
26
26
1

All of them
Most of them
Some of them
Only a few of them
None of them
No answer*

Jan 27-Feb 2,
2025
9
25
17
23
24
1

11

12

In July 2024, the question was worded “Now thinking NOT about issues, but about Donald Trump’s personal conduct, would
you say you…”
In February 2020, the question was worded “Now thinking NOT about issues, but just about the way Donald Trump
conducts himself as president, would you say you…”

www.pewresearch.org

26

PEW RESEARCH CENTER

ASK FORM 2 ONLY [N=4,262]:
NEWPRES_ACTNS

Would you say the Trump administration's actions since taking office last year have
been... [ROTATE RESPONSE OPTIONS 1-5/5-1]

Jan 20-26,
2026
11
10
28
15
34
1

A lot better than you expected
A little better than you expected
About what you expected
A little worse than you expected
A lot worse than you expected
No answer*

Jun 2-8,
202513
11
10
31
17
32
*

Jan 27-Feb 2,
2025
17
11
36
12
24
1

ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS HELD FOR FUTURE RELEASE

[RANDOMIZE ORDER OF PRESWITHOP AND OPWITHPRES SUCH THAT FORM 1 (X_FORM=1) GETS
PRESWITHOP FIRST AND OPWITHPRES SECOND WHILE FORM 2 (X_FORM=2) GETS OPWITHPRES
FIRST AND PRESWITHOP SECOND]

ASK FORM 1 ONLY [N=4,250]:
PRESWITHOP

This year, do you think Donald Trump should... [ROTATE RESPONSE OPTIONS 1-2/2-1 IN
SAME ORDER AS OPWITHPRES]

Jan 20-26,
2026
64

33

2

Try as best he can to work with Democratic congressional leaders to accomplish things,
even if it means disappointing people who voted for him
Stand up to Democratic congressional leaders on issues that are important to people who
voted for him, even if it means it’s harder to address critical problems facing the country
No answer*

Jan 27-Feb 2,
2025
63

35

2

TREND FOR COMPARISON
This year, do you think Joe Biden should…

Try as best he can to work with Republican
congressional leaders to accomplish things, even if it
means disappointing some people who voted for him
Stand up to Republican congressional leaders on
issues that are important to the people who voted
for him, even if it means it’s harder to address
critical problems facing the country
No answer

Jan 16-21
2024
74

Jan 18-24,
2023
73

Jan 10-17,
2022
67

Jan 8-12,
202114
74

24

25

29

23

2

2

4

3

13
14

Prior to January 2026, the question was worded “Would you say the Trump administration’s actions so far have been…”
In January 2021, second response option was worded as “ … on issues that are important to his supporters …”.

www.pewresearch.org

27

PEW RESEARCH CENTER

ASK FORM 2 ONLY [N=4,262]:
OPWITHPRES

This year, do you think Democratic congressional leaders should... [ROTATE RESPONSE
OPTIONS 1-2/2-1 IN SAME ORDER AS PRESWITHOP]

Jan 20-26,
2026
49

49

2

Try as best they can to work with Donald Trump to accomplish things, even if it
means disappointing people who voted for them
Stand up to Donald Trump on issues that are important to people who voted for
them, even if it means it’s harder to address critical problems facing the country
No answer*

Jan 27-Feb 2,
2025
55

43

2

TREND FOR COMPARISON
This year, do you think Republican congressional leaders should…

Try as best they can to work with Joe Biden to
accomplish things, even if it means disappointing
some Republican voters
Stand up to Joe Biden on issues that are important
to Republican voters, even if it means it’s harder to
address critical problems facing the country
No answer

Jan 16-21
2024
60

Jan 18-24,
2023
63

Jan 10-17,
2022
61

Jan 8-12,
2021
66

37

35

37

3

2

2

31

3

ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS HELD FOR FUTURE RELEASE

ASK ALL:
IMMIG_FAVOPP

Thinking about immigration policy, do you favor or oppose each of the following?
[RANDOMIZE ITEMS; ROTATE RESPONSE OPTIONS 1-4/4-1 IN SAME ORDER
AS VEN_MADREMV]

Strongly
favor

Somewhat
favor

Somewhat
oppose

Strongly
oppose

No
answer*

SCMED

FEE

ASY

MIL

Requiring people who want to
enter the U.S. to let
immigration officers review
their social media accounts
      Jan 20-26, 2026

Giving people priority in the
immigration process if they pay
a $1 million fee
      Jan 20-26, 2026

Suspending all asylum
applications from people
seeking to live in the U.S. to
escape violence or danger
      Jan 20-26, 2026

Maintaining a large military
presence at the U.S. border
with Mexico
      Jan 20-26, 2026

25

31

20

23

5

14

20

60

11

21

30

36

31

31

21

16

2

2

2

1

www.pewresearch.org

28

PEW RESEARCH CENTER

IMMIG_FAVOPP CONTINUED …

DTN

PAU75

Keeping large numbers of
immigrants in detention centers
while their cases are decided
      Jan 20-26, 2026

Pausing visa applications from
people in 75 countries seeking
to legally immigrate to the U.S.
      Jan 20-26, 2026

Strongly
favor

Somewhat
favor

Somewhat
oppose

Strongly
oppose

No
answer*

14

21

24

40

16

23

30

30

2

2

ADDITONAL QUESTIONS HELD FOR FUTURE RELEASE

[RANDOMIZE ORDER OF IMMIGPPL_ACCEPT AND IMMIGAGNT_ACCEPT]

ASK ALL:
IMMIGPPL_ACCEPT

Do you think each of the following is acceptable or unacceptable for people to
do? [RANDOMIZE ITEMS; ROTATE RESPONSE OPTIONS 1-4/4-1 IN
SAME ORDER AS IMMIGAGNT_ACCEPT]

Definitely
acceptable

Probably
acceptable

Probably
unacceptable

Definitely
unacceptable

No
answer*

VDEO

TRCK

REPT

Record video of immigration
officers while they make arrests
      Jan 20-26, 2026

Share information about where
immigration officers are arresting
people
      Jan 20-26, 2026

Report people who they think
may be in the country illegally to
immigration officers
      Jan 20-26, 2026

48

26

13

12

35

24

18

22

22

30

22

25

1

1

2

www.pewresearch.org

29

PEW RESEARCH CENTER

ASK ALL:
IMMIGAGNT_ACCEPT

Do you think each of the following is acceptable or unacceptable for federal
immigration officers to do? [RANDOMIZE ITEMS; ROTATE RESPONSE
OPTIONS 1-4/4-1 IN SAME ORDER AS IMMIGPPL_ACCEPT]

Definitely
acceptable

Probably
acceptable

Probably
unacceptable

Definitely
unacceptable

No
answer*

MASK  Wear face coverings that hide
their identities while working
      Jan 20-26, 2026

NGBH

RLAN

Increase their presence in
neighborhoods with many
immigrants
      Jan 20-26, 2026

Use a person’s looks or the
language they speak as a reason
to check their immigration status
      Jan 20-26, 2026

CITZ

Arrest U.S. citizens who help
people avoid immigration officers
      Jan 20-26, 2026

21

16

15

46

18

26

21

33

10

18

20

23

21

20

51

34

1

1

1

2

ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS HELD FOR FUTURE RELEASE

ASK FORM 1 ONLY [N=4,250]:
EXPAND_GRNLND_MOD

Donald Trump has mentioned an interest in the U.S. taking over Greenland.
How likely do you think it is that Donald Trump will do this? [ROTATE
RESPONSE OPTIONS 1-5/5-1 HOLDING 6 LAST]

Jan 20-26,
2026
8
12
21
22
17

Extremely likely
Very likely
Somewhat likely
Not too likely
Not at all likely

19
1

Not sure
No answer*

Mar 24-30,
202515
7
16
28
22
13

14
*

15

In the 2025 survey, question was worded “Donald Trump has mentioned an interest in the U.S. taking over Greenland. How
likely do you think it is that Donald Trump will pursue this?”

www.pewresearch.org

30

PEW RESEARCH CENTER

ASK FORM 1 ONLY [N=4,250]:
EXPAND2_GRNLND

Do you favor or oppose the U.S. taking over Greenland, as Donald Trump has
proposed? [ROTATE RESPONSE OPTIONS 1-4/4-1 HOLDING 5 LAST]

Jan 20-26,
2026
10
12
13
45

Strongly favor
Somewhat favor
Somewhat oppose
Strongly oppose

20
1

Not sure
No answer*

Mar 24-30,
2025
8
15
12
43

22
1

ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS HELD FOR FUTURE RELEASE

ASK REPUBLICAN AND REPUBLICAN LEANERS (XPARTYSUMFINAL=1) [N=3,913]:
Which comes closer to your view, even if neither is exactly right?
REPWORKTRMP
Republicans in Congress… [ROTATE RESPONSE OPTIONS 1-2/2-1]

Jan 20-26,
2026
38

61

1

Have an obligation to support Donald Trump’s policies and
programs because he is a Republican president
Do not have an obligation to support Donald Trump’s
policies and programs if they disagree with him
No answer*

Jan 27-Feb 2,
2025
44

55

1

ASK ALL:
PARTY
ASK IF INDEP/SOMETHING ELSE (PARTY=3,4 OR REFUSED):
As of today do you lean more to…16
PARTYLN

In politics today, do you consider yourself a…

Republican
28

Democrat  Independent

26

29

Something
else
15

No
answer*
2

Lean
Rep
18

Lean
Dem
21

16

PARTY and PARTYLN asked in a prior survey.

www.pewresearch.org