Opinion Weekend
August 1-2, 2026
Do Americans think AI is smarter than Donald Trump? David Montgomery, YouGov YouGov asked Americans to compare AI to humans in several different areas of reasoning. Many say AI is better than humans at answering questions that require factual knowledge (44% say AI is better and 18% say AI is worse). Americans are more divided over how AI compares to people in handling questions that require complex reasoning (33% vs. 28%), and are less likely to favor AI rather than people at answering questions that require creativity (25% vs. 37%).
How Democrats view democratic socialists Clifford Young, Ipsos Democratic socialism in the U.S. is hardly a new phenomenon, but the widespread electoral success of democratic socialists, on a national scale, certainly is. What is behind their recent appeal?
Consumers remain focused on pocketbook issues Joanne Hsu, The University of Michigan Consumer sentiment confirmed its early-month reading, landing almost 12% above June. Broad-based improvements were seen across all groups by income, education, wealth, age, and political party. Five-year expected business conditions reached a 12-month high, though it remains well under its historical average. Despite recent gains, sentiment is 11% below a year ago, reflecting a generally somber view of the economy amid five years of elevated inflation and persistent high prices.
Parents expect to spend an average of nearly $900 per child on back-to-school shopping this year: GMA/Ipsos Parents Poll Emily Guskin, ABC News The first-ever GMA/Ipsos Parents poll finds that a majority of parents with children in kindergarten through 12th grade say prices for things they normally buy for back-to-school shopping are more expensive this year than last year, and they expect to spend nearly $900 per child this year on items to get them ready to go back to the classroom.
Under the Sun and Out of the Shadows: Fears, Hopes, and Aspirations of Undocumented Farm Workers Targeted by Trump-Era Enforcement Jonathan Angulo, UFW Foundation Accessing its extensive database, UFW Foundation conducted a comprehensive survey and gathered responses from 2,250 farm workers, the great majority undocumented. This is a novel survey because the results chronicle what they face, their hopes and aspirations for the future—and supplies glimpses into the lives of workers who are frequently ignored in national policy conversations.
Top Farmworker Fear Is Family Separation Whitney Curry Wimbish, The American Prospect A first-of-its-kind survey by the UFW Foundation quantifies the impact of Trump’s mass deportation campaign on farmworkers, the vast majority of whom are undocumented. Democrats circulate anti-crypto poll ahead of vote Eleanor Mueller, Semafor Senate Democrats are circulating previously unreported polling on their voters’ negative perceptions of cryptocurrency ahead of a key vote expected next week. The poll, conducted by the firm Normington Petts and viewed by Semafor, found that voters in Democratic primaries view crypto less favorably than oil companies; Wall Street; or data centers.
UK Public Opinion on Foreign Policy: Trust in the United States collapses British Foreign Policy Group Just 27% of Britons trust the United States to act responsibly on the world stage, down from 53% two years ago. The actions of President Trump are clearly at the heart of this perception and 56% of Britons believe he is negatively effecting UK/U.S relations, 55% think he is harming our economy, and 47% think he is harming the UK's national security.
