Opinion Today
April 1, 2026
CNN Poll: Trump’s approval rating on the economy hits a new low Jennifer Agiesta, CNN President Donald Trump’s approval rating for handling the economy has fallen to a new career low of 31%, according to a new CNN poll conducted by SSRS, reflecting growing pessimism among Americans over the issue they consistently describe as the most important.
Most Americans oppose sending ground troops to Iran David Montgomery, YouGov The U.S. war with Iran is unpopular and becoming more unpopular as it continues, the latest Economist / YouGov Poll finds, and few Americans support deploying ground troops to the conflict. Only 30% of Americans strongly or somewhat approve of Donald Trump's handling of the Iran conflict and 60% disapprove, for a net approval of -30. That's down from -19 last week.
Majority of Americans favor exit from Iran conflict, even if not all U.S. goals are achieved Alec Tyson, Ipsos A new Ipsos poll conducted March 27-29 finds Americans prefer an expedited end to U.S. military action in Iran, even if it comes with tradeoffs. Overall, 66% say the U.S. should work to end its involvement in the conflict quickly, even if it means we do not achieve all of our goals in Iran. Far fewer (27%) take the view that the U.S. should work to achieve all of its goals in Iran, even if it means the conflict continues for an extended period of time.
Trump net job approval drops to a record low David Montgomery, YouGov Donald Trump's net job approval has dropped to a record low in this week's Economist / YouGov Poll, amid eroding support from Trump's core supporters. Only 35% of Americans strongly or somewhat approve of how Trump is handling his job as president, while 58% disapprove, for a net job approval of -23.
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Republicans get more blame than Democrats for the partial shutdown Alexander Rossell Hayes, YouGov Most Americans (77%) say that airline travel in the U.S. has a good or excellent safety record and few (13%) say they are very afraid of flying. Americans are more likely to blame Republicans for the shutdown than to blame Democrats (36% vs. 29%) and more say that Congress should fund the government without funding U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) than say that ICE funding should be included (47% vs. 32%).
Most Americans believe the travel experience has gotten worse in the last year Johnny Sawyer and Amanda Price, Ipsos A new Ipsos poll finds that two-thirds of Americans believe the travel experience has gotten worse in the past year. Those who have flown in the last two months share this sentiment, and half of recent fliers report that they have experienced travel delays due to airlines. US Consumer Confidence Inched Up Again in March The Conference Board Surging costs from tariffs and war notwithstanding, confidence edged higher
A Year After Liberation Day, Americans Still Dislike Tariffs and Want Their Money Back Maryann Cousens & Aidan Harty, Navigator Research This Navigator Research report covers Americans’ views on tariffs, including their views on tariff rebate checks.
Is China A 'Threat'? 44% Would Back Trade Limits For National Security Reasons: I&I/TIPP Poll Terry Jones, tippinsights By a slender margin, a plurality of Americans see China as a "threat" rather than as a "competitor" or "partner," the latest I&I/TIPP Poll shows. And nearly half say they would back further trade restrictions on China for national security reasons, even if it means higher prices.
Survey highlights disparity in financial literacy and economic stability among Americans Ipsos / Junior Achievement Two in five Americans (42%) indicate struggles with money management, with 23% indicating I believe my income could be sufficient if I understood how to manage it more effectively and 19% selecting my income is limited and I struggle with money management. Americans Want a Budget that Prioritizes Programs Cut by President Trump and Republicans in Congress Julie Alderman Boudreau, Navigator Research This Navigator Research report covers what Americans think the government is spending too much and too little on.
Permission to Oppose the War John Della Volpe, JDV on Gen Z One month into the war in Iran, the largest bloc of young American opinion isn’t for or against the strikes. It’s stuck. Our March 2026 SocialSphere Gen Z Tracker puts a number on the divide: just 9% of Gen Z strongly supports the war. More than three times that — 34% — strongly opposes it. But the real story is the middle. Roughly four in ten either somewhat support or somewhat oppose the action — and another one in six say they don’t have enough information to offer an opinion at all. North Carolina: Trump Approval Drops; Cooper Leads Senate Race Center for North Carolina Politics & Public Service, Catawba College One month into the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran, North Carolinians have grown more negative in their views of President Donald Trump, according to a new Catawba–YouGov survey. A plurality say the U.S. was wrong to attack Iran, and as the Pentagon signals a potentially prolonged conflict with ground operations, a strong majority oppose deploying troops. The survey also finds that Democrat Roy Cooper leads Republican Michael Whatley in the early horserace numbers for the U.S. Senate election, 48 percent to 34 percent among likely voters. New Jersey: Strong Approval Numbers at Start of Sherrill’s Term Fairleigh Dickinson University As Governor Sherrill wades into negotiations over her first state budget, her approval ratings are high, significantly outpacing the numbers given to her predecessor at the end of his time in Trenton. While former Governor Phil Murphy’s approvals hovered in the 40s for most of his second term, Sherrill comes into office with 58 percent approval. Maryland: Gov. Moore's job approval falls below 50% for the first time Bryan P. Sears, Maryland Matters UMBC poll finds growing frustration and anger over affordability issues, pessimism about direction of state New Hampshire: Few Regularly Attend Religious Services, But Many Still Value Religion University of New Hampshire Survey Center More than half of adult Granite Staters say they never attend religious services, despite most saying they did attend as children. Majorities believe religion plays a key role in morality and believe the U.S. was founded as a Christian nation, but majorities also believe that religion should play no role in public affairs and that prayer is inappropriate in public schools in the state. Vermonters See No Role For Religion in Public Life, Nearly Half Identify as Non-Religious University of New Hampshire Survey Center Two-thirds of Vermont adults say they never attend religious services, despite many regularly attending in their childhood, and nearly half of the population identify as agnostic, atheist, or religiously unaffiliated, while less than one-fifth each identify as Catholic or Protestant. State residents are split on whether religion has a positive or negative effect on society but most feel that religion should play no role in public affairs and that prayer in public schools is inappropriate. Americans have little appetite for sending U.S. troops to Iran, polls show Scott Clement, Washington Post [unlocked] Most want the war to end quickly, and opposition has hardened since it began, posing political dangers for the president and his party as the midterms approach.
Will $4 Gas Hurt Trump’s Approval Ratings? Here’s What History Shows. Ruth Igielnik and Katherine Chui, The New York Times [unlocked] Presidents since at least the Carter administration have seen their approval ratings tied to gas prices. But there are signs the correlation may be weakening. Gas Just Hit $4 a Gallon. Is That Really as Bad as It Sounds? Justin Lahart, The Wall Street Journal [unlocked] Sure, gasoline has cost more in the past. But dealing with a rapid run-up in prices is a lot harder than dealing with a gradual one. Trump Is Flailing on Iran Jonathan Chait, The Atlantic [unlocked] He can’t scare Iran and reassure the markets at the same time. But he’s trying. Trump signs order directing creation of a national voter list, a move already facing lawsuit threats The Associated Press President Donald Trump on Tuesday signed an executive order to create a nationwide list of verified eligible voters and to restrict mail-in voting, a move that swiftly drew legal threats from state Democratic officials ahead of this year’s midterm elections. Trump Signs Order Seeking Federal Control of Mail Voting as He Promotes False Claims Nick Corasaniti and Michael Gold, The New York Times [unlocked] Election experts and Democratic officials called the order legally invalid, and Arizona and Oregon pledged to immediately challenge it in court. Neutrality, Authoritarianism, and Thoughts on the Cult of Both Sides Josh Marshall, The Backchannel Our new political world in the U.S. and around much of the globe is no longer simply right vs. left but authoritarian vs. civic democratic. Vance and Rubio’s differing postures on Iran war highlight their challenges ahead of 2028 election Michelle L. Price and Steve Peoples, The Associated Press With Vance and Rubio seen as the party’s strongest potential candidates in a 2028 primary, the two have to balance their roles in the Trump administration with their future political plans. Make sure actual humans answered that poll you’re using Natalie Jackson (GQR Research), National Journal [unlocked] AI agents cannot be allowed to replace the voice of the people.
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PLAYLIST
American farmers were already struggling, then came the Iran war Consider This from NPR A series of Trump administration policy decisions – deportations, tariffs, and the Iran war – are ratcheting up the pressure on American farmers. It’s a group that tends to support the president, but persistent challenges may test their patience.
Kornacki analyzes what it will take for Democrats to win back the Senate NBC News NBC News Chief Data Analyst Steve Kornacki joins Meet the Press NOW to analyze the Democrats’ complicated path to victory to win back the Senate in the midterm elections.
Prediction markets, pardons spark questions over who’s profiting from Trump’s presidency PBS News Hour The Pentagon is denying a report by The Financial Times that Defense Secretary Hegseth’s stockbroker was seeking to make large investments in major defense companies in the days before the U.S. and Israel struck Iran. That report is raising more concerns about the people in and around the Trump administration who seem to be profiting in unusual ways. White House correspondent Liz Landers reports.