Poll: Trump’s Handling of the Economy
This Navigator Research report covers the latest perceptions of Trump’s handling of the economy, including rising costs and his plan for tariffs.
A majority of Americans (56 percent), including 61 percent of independents, disapprove of President Trump’s handling of the economy. Majorities describe the economy as “volatile” (67 percent) and “uncertain” (67 percent) rather than “stable” (28 percent).
Seven in ten independents (71 percent) and Americans earning less than $50,000 in annual household income (69 percent) say the economy is currently uncertain rather than stable.
Two thirds of Americans (65 percent) say that costs are going up, including almost half of Republicans (48 percent).
In response to this perceived lack of stability and increased costs, nearly half of Americans say they are not going out to restaurants, movies, and other recreational activities (47 percent), are saving less than they would like (46 percent), and are cutting back on purchasing daily goods like groceries (42 percent).
Only a third of Americans (30 percent) have a favorable view of tariffs, including merely 20 percent of independents, and a little over one third of non-MAGA Republicans (37 percent).
By a margin of 56-points, Americans think that tariffs are making prices go up (67 percent going up – 11 percent going down), with four in ten saying prices are going up “a lot” (41 percent). By an 11-point margin, Americans say that the economic pain caused by tariffs will not be worth it in the long run (38 percent worth it- 49 percent not), driven by 70 percent of Republicans who believe tariffs will be worth it.
- Majorities agree that President Trump’s tariff policy is making the economy more volatile (62 percent) and creating chaos (53 percent).
- Perceptions vary based on news consumption. Among those who say they seek out the news, 57 percent say Trump’s tariffs are causing chaos. By contrast, 48 percent of those who say news comes to them report the same.
- While Republicans feel that the tariff policy can be described as “smart and strategic,” and “playing the long game,” Democrats and independents are more likely to describe it as “raising costs for Americans,” and “causing chaos in the economy.”
- Non-MAGA Republicans describe the tariff policy as both “raising costs for Americans” and also “playing the long game.”
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About The Study
Global Strategy Group conducted a public opinion survey among a sample of 1,000 registered voters from May
15-May 18, 2025. 100 additional interviews were conducted among Hispanic voters. 76 additional interviews
were conducted among Asian American and Pacific Islander voters. 100 additional interviews were conducted
among African American voters. 100 additional interviews were conducted among independent voters. The
survey was conducted online, recruiting respondents from an opt-in online panel vendor. Respondents were
verified against a voter file and special care was taken to ensure the demographic composition of our sample
matched that of the national registered voter population across a variety of demographic variables. The margin
of error for the full sample at the 95 percent level of confidence is +/- 3.1 percentage points. The margin of error
for subgroups varies and is higher.
