Opinion Today
January 21, 2026
American knowledge about Greenland varies but very few support a military takeover Taylor Orth, YouGov A large majority of Americans remain opposed to the U.S. using military force to take control of Greenland. Nearly twice as many are opposed to purchasing Greenland as support doing so.
Donald Trump's net job approval hits a new low for his second term David Montgomery, YouGov A major measure of Americans' opinion of how Donald Trump is doing his job as president hit a new low this week for his second term in office. This is primarily driven by a drop in job approval this week among Trump's Republican base. It's too early to say whether this drop represents a durable change in how Americans view Trump's job performance.
It's been 1 year of Trump's second term. More Americans than ever think he's 'changing America for the worse.' Andrew Romano, Yahoo News A growing number also say Trump has been a worse president than they expected, according to a new Yahoo/YouGov poll.
How watching video of the Minneapolis ICE shooting affects Americans' polarized views Taylor Orth, YouGov Americans are divided in their opinion about anti-ICE protests, though majorities oppose sending federal troops to Minneapolis and believe that peaceful protests against ICE should be allowed. More Americans view ICE's shooting of Renee Good as not justified than as justified; nearly two-thirds think the agent who shot her should be investigated.
Many Americans view ICE shooting in Minneapolis as excessive use of force Alec Tyson and Bernard Mendez, Ipsos By 52% to 25%, more Americans say the fatal shooting of Renee Nicole Good by a U.S. immigration officer was an excessive rather than a necessary use of force, according to a new Ipsos poll. Views of the shooting divide sharply along partisan lines.
Few Democrats and most Republicans support military action in Iran Taylor Orth, YouGov More Americans oppose than support U.S. military intervention in Iran, including using force to overthrow Iran's leader and bombing Iran in response to its treatment of protesters.
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Plurality say U.S. does not have responsibility to support anti-government protesters in Iran Alec Tyson and Bernard Mendez, Ipsos Most Americans have heard at least a little about anti-government protests in Iran and the government’s subsequent crackdown, according to a new Ipsos poll. While there is awareness of the situation in Iran, the public does not see an obligation for the U.S. to get involved.
Half of Republicans want the U.S. to take Venezuela's oil Taylor Orth, YouGov Americans are more likely to oppose than support recent U.S. military actions in Venezuela, and opinions have changed little in the past week. Few Americans want the U.S. to run Venezuela for the next few years, and only one-quarter of Americans think the U.S. should take Venezuela's oil.
49% Of Americans Back Trump's Decision To Arrest Venezuelan Dictator Maduro: I&I/TIPP Poll Terry Jones, tippinsights Do Americans support President Donald Trump's decision to seize Venezuela's leftist dictator Nicolas Maduro, despite a still-raging controversy in the mainstream media over the legality of the arrest? The answer is mostly yes, with some reservations, according to the latest I&I/TIPP Poll.
Half of Americans expect the Supreme Court will uphold Trump's tariffs; far fewer want it to Taylor Orth, YouGov Far more Americans want tariffs to be decreased than increased. Two-thirds of people — including majorities of Democrats and Republicans — say they've paid higher prices as a result of Trump's tariffs. While more Americans would prefer for the Supreme Court to strike down Trump's tariffs than to allow them to stand, a large and growing share expect the Supreme Court to keep the tariffs in place rather than strike them down.
Americans are divided over the Department of Justice's criminal investigation into Jerome Powell David Montgomery, YouGov Americans are more likely to want the Federal Reserve to lower interest rates than to raise them or keep them the same. Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell is more trusted than Donald Trump to set interest rates, but Americans are split over the Department of Justice's criminal investigation into Powell.
What Americans think are major problems among members of the Democratic and Republican parties Jamie Ballard, YouGov A new YouGov survey finds that Americans are more likely to have unfavorable opinions of both the Democratic and Republican parties than favorable ones. One of the major problems Americans see with members of both parties is the tolerance of political violence.
Year-Over-Year Growth in Monthly Spending Is Up; Large Purchases Mixed Federal Reserve Bank of New York The median reported year-over-year increase in monthly nominal household spending increased to 4.9 percent in December from 4.1 percent in August and 4.6 percent in December 2024. AAPI Adults Identify Priorities and Expectations for 2026 AP-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research and AAPI Data Like the general population, economic and personal finance issues, immigration, and health care are the top policy priorities AAPI adults want the government to address in 2026. And while most are pessimistic about the overall state of the country, economy, and healthcare, they are more positive about their own situation.
BofA Survey Shows Investors Are Unprepared for Stock Correction Levin Stamm, Bloomberg This week’s sudden stock market pullback might be catching a lot of investors off guard. Fund managers were the most bullish since July 2021 while protection against a stock correction had tumbled to an eight-year low, according to a survey from Bank of America Corp. conducted before the weekend’s escalations over Greenland. Economic Pessimism Persists After One Year of Trump’s Second Term — But Voters Still Don’t Think Either Party Has a Solution Data for Progress New polling from Data for Progress reveals that, despite Trump’s campaign promises, voters’ perceptions of the economy have not improved since he took office. But in a warning sign for Democrats, voters are still largely split over which party has solutions to lower the cost of living.
Beyond MAGA: The Four Types of Trump Voters More in Common US Newsletter More in Common is releasing the most comprehensive study to date of the Americans who voted for President Trump in November 2024. Beyond MAGA: A Profile of the Trump Coalition provides a detailed segmentation of these voters and their views on the major issues confronting our country and the world. This newsletter is the first in a multi-part series on Beyond MAGA. In this post, we will introduce the four types of Trump voters, including their profiles and key characteristics.
1 year of Trump 2.0 Charles Franklin, PollsAndVotes President Trump's approval is bad enough. No need to exaggerate.
All or nothing on liking Trump? Charles Franklin, PollsAndVotes After a year in office, opinions about Donald Trump are a bit more complicated than merely “approve” or “disapprove.” Those who disapprove find almost nothing to like, but those who approve are likely to express mixed feelings, reporting things they dislike even if on balance they approve of the job he is doing as president. Trump's approval rating takes a hit in his first year back in office Ben Kamisar and Bridget Bowman, NBC News Trump's overall job approval and his numbers on handling the economy and immigration have slid, according to public polls, though he gets higher marks on border security. Trump’s deeply unpopular presidency so far Amber Phillips, Washington Post A year after his inauguration, polls show he’s as unpopular as ever and many Americans dislike his major policies. One Year In, Voters Are Souring on Trump. Are Democrats Capitalizing? Michael Baharaeen, The Liberal Patriot Today marks one year since Donald Trump was sworn in for a second term as president. After looking stronger than ever before on Inauguration Day, most metrics show that his standing with the public has since declined substantially. Trump’s Year of Anarchy: The Unconstrained Presidency and the End of American Primacy. Daniel W. Drezner and Elizabeth N. Saunders, Foreign Affairs Although U.S. President Donald Trump did not single-handedly bring about the decline of the post-1945 order, he has, in his first year since returning to office, accelerated and even embraced its demise. Greenland Clash Risks Undermining America’s Place in World Economic Order Justin Lahart and Sam Goldfarb, Wall Street Journal [unlocked] The U.S. has long been a beacon of safety when uncertainty reigns. That is changing. With Threats to Greenland, Trump Sets America on the Road to Conquest Peter Baker, New York Times [unlocked] After a century of defending other countries against foreign aggression, the United States is now positioned as an imperial power trying to seize another nation’s land. Greenland, Davos, and a Flame-Throwing President Jonathan Lemire, The Atlantic [unlocked] Trump threatens to sever the U.S.-European alliance over Greenland. ‘God Is Very Proud’: Trump Marks Anniversary With a Victory Lap Luke Broadwater, New York Times [unlocked] For roughly one hour 45 minutes, President Trump meandered through his accomplishments and grievances, attacked perceived enemies and threatened allies. A year into office, Trump threatens to fall into the same traps as Biden Erika Filter, National Journal [unlocked] Inflation, foreign entanglements, and health concerns have plagued the pair of presidents. One Year In, Searching for a Strategy Behind Trump’s Unpredictability Shawn McCreesh, New York Times [unlocked] One great truth of Trump II so far is that nobody has any idea what tomorrow holds. Trump Exhaustion Syndrome Ashley Parker, The Atlantic [unlocked] Americans can’t seem to keep up. How Trump Has Pocketed $1,408,500,000 The Editorial Board, New York Times [unlocked] One year ago, Donald Trump took an oath to serve the American people. Instead, he has focused on using the presidency to enrich himself. Trump's pardons forgive financial crimes that came with hundreds of millions in punishments Owen Auston-Babcock and Megan Shannon, NBC News The president’s second-term pardons have wiped clean dozens of financial crimes and significantly more fines and restitution than in past administrations. It’s Sundowning in America Paul Krugman How did a great, sophisticated nation, one of the world’s longest-standing republics, end up so fragile that it can be undone by one man’s dementia? ‘This Is Trump’s Goon Squad, for Christ’s Sake’ Thomas B. Edsall, New York Times [unlocked] In theory, Immigration and Customs Enforcement describes itself as “the Department of Homeland Security’s premier law enforcement agency, mitigating transnational threats and safeguarding our nation, communities, lawful immigration, trade, travel and financial systems.” In practice, the Trump administration has turned legions of ICE agents into a violent and unaccountable domestic police force, empowered by claims of immunity to exercise force against American citizens and immigrants alike. Trump Let Down the Iranian Protesters William A. Galston, Wall Street Journal [unlocked] He promised he’d help but then stood by while the regime massacred them. Trump continues to play kingmaker in Republican primaries Nathan L. Gonzales, Roll Call Do any other endorsements matter for GOP candidates? Trump administration admits DOGE accessed personal Social Security data Meryl Kornfield, Washington Post [unlocked] A DOGE employee signed an agreement to share Social Security data with the aim of overturning election results in certain states, according to a new court filing. Data Centers Are Becoming a Political Problem Jade Lozada, NOTUS Residents organizing against the construction of AI infrastructure in Wisconsin are trying to recall their mayor. They want federal lawmakers to weigh in on data centers too. What Does the Public Actually Think About the Access-Fraud Tradeoff? Sebastian Jilke and Elizabeth Bell, Can We Still Govern? Politicians are out of step with public views How Tougher Immigration Enforcement Can Undermine Public Safety Felipe Goncalves, Elisa Jácome, and Emily Weisburst, Briefing Book New research finds that immigrant deportations can increase crime, through reducing victim engagement with law enforcement
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PLAYLIST
Most Americans don’t think their salary is keeping up with inflation, CBS News polling finds CBS News It's been one year since President Trump took the oath of office and became the United States' 47th president. CBS News executive director of elections and surveys Anthony Salvanto has new polling on how Americans feel a year into Trump's second term.
How Americans view Trump's first year back in White House, according to AP-NORC polling Associated Press About 4 in 10 US adults consistently approve of how Trump is handling the presidency. That's a sign that it is just incredibly hard to change people's minds about Donald Trump. But when you dig into the data, there are some signs of vulnerability for the president.
Canadian PM Mark Carney speaks at World Economic Forum Associated Press Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney delivers a special address at the 2026 World Economic Forum in Davos.
We Are SRC Survey Research Center, University of Michigan Celebrating 80 years of social science in the public interest.