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Message Guidance on Tariff SCOTUS Ruling

Posted on by Navigator Research Team

Poll: Tariffs

This Navigator Research report covers the latest perceptions of tariffs, including the share of Americans who support Trump’s tariff plan and how tariffs are seen as impacting costs.

Tariff Favorability and Support

Tariffs remain overwhelmingly underwater, with 60% of Americans viewing them unfavorably and only 30% holding favorable views as of January.

Bar chart from Navigator Research, titled: Tariffs Remain Broadly Unpopular

A similar margin opposes President Trump’s tariff plan, with 55% opposing and only 38% in support. Support for Trump’s tariff plan is largely partisan, opposed by 88% of Democrats, 55% of independents, and 21% of Republicans. Among Republicans though, there’s a split in support – with MAGA Republicans being 35 points more likely to support Trump’s tariff plan (86% MAGA – 51% non-MAGA).

  • Across income groups, Americans oppose Trump’s tariff plan, including among those who identify as “middle class” (43% support – 51% oppose).
  • Americans earning less than $50,000 a year have become 11 points more negative on Trump’s tariff plan since September, shifting from -22 in September to -33 in January.
Bar chart from Navigator Research, titled: Majorities Continue to Oppose Trump’s Tariff Plan

Tariffs and Costs

A majority across partisanship believe tariffs have led to an increase in their costs (69%), including 88% of Democrats, 65% of independents, and 52% of Republicans. Two-thirds of passive news consumers, those who say news comes to them, believe tariffs have increased their costs (66%), a similar share as active news consumers (71%). Only 10% of Americans say tariffs have made their costs go down.

Bar chart from Navigator Research, titled: Seven in Ten Americans Say Trump’s Tariffs Continue to Drive Up Their Costs

As Americans continue to believe their costs are increasing, majorities disapprove of President Trump’s handling of inflation and the cost of living (58% disapprove – 37% approve).

Message Guidance

Despite the decision from the Supreme Court this morning, many of the Republican tariffs will continue. Additionally, it is likely that President Trump continues many of his tariffs in one way or another through a different mechanism. Even in the interim, it’s crucial to continue to tell the stories of how these tariffs, imposed by Trump and backed by Republicans in Congress, are raising costs for things people buy every day.

Here are some tips for how best to communicate on the negative impacts of tariffs:

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Americans Do Not See Their Government as a Democracy

Posted on by Lauren Slater

Poll: Authoritarianism vs. Democracy

This Navigator Research report covers Americans’ views of democracy, authoritarianism, and the federal government.

Democracy is Underwater

We asked Americans how well or not well the following words described our current federal government: authoritarian, dictatorship, democracy, fascist, oligarchy. A majority of Americans today believe the federal government can be described as “authoritarian” (52%). When asked how well “democracy” describes the federal government, Americans are five points more likely to say “not well” than “well” (48% and 43%, respectively).

Significant shares of Americans also agree that other undemocratic forms of government aptly describe the federal government, including:

  • Dictatorship: (net +4; 47% say well – 43% say not well)
  • Fascist: (net -1; 40% say well – 41% say not well)
  • Oligarchy: (net 0; 34% say well – 34% say not well).
Bar chart from Navigator Research, titled: A Majority Describe the Current Government as “Authoritarian,” Nearly Half as a “Dictatorship”; Fewer Say It’s a “Democracy”

Among tested terms, Americans appear least familiar with “oligarchy.” About one third of Americans say they “don’t know” how well the term describes the federal government (32%).

Americans are more likely to describe their current government as undemocratic than democratic. Just 16% say “democracy” describes the federal government “very well” – 10 points less than the share who say “dictatorship” describes the federal government “very well” (26%) and 12 points less than the share who say “authoritarian” describes the federal government “very well” (29%). Americans are also more likely to say “fascist” (22%) and “oligarchy” (19%) describe the federal government “very well.”

Bar chart from Navigator Research, titled: Americans Describe Their Government as Undemocratic With Greater Conviction

Gen Z, Active News Consumers, and MAGA v. Non-MAGA Republicans

While each generation was more likely than not to describe the federal government as “authoritarian,” Gen Z adults are particularly inclined to see their government as undemocratic. Just 36% of Gen Z respondents feel “democracy” appropriately describes the federal government, with majorities of Gen Z adults instead agreeing with descriptors like “authoritarian” (60%), “fascist” (51%), or “dictatorship” (54%). Just under one third (31%) of Gen Z adults say “fascist” describes the federal government “very well” – nearly twice the number who say “democracy” describes the federal government “very well” (16%).

55% of active news consumers (those who say they seek out the news, rather than letting the news come to them) say “authoritarian” describes the federal government well – nine points greater than the share of passive news consumers who say the same (46%). Passive news consumers were also 13 points more likely to say they “don’t know” if “authoritarian” describes the federal government well (24% of passive news consumers).

Bar chart from Navigator Research, titled: College Graduates, Gen Z, and Active News Consumers Say “Authoritarian” Describes the Current Government Well

Republicans who do and do not consider themselves supporters of the MAGA movement also demonstrate strong differences in how they view the federal government. Non-MAGA Republicans are 17 points less likely than MAGA Republicans to say “democracy” describes the federal government well (59% and 76%, respectively). Non-MAGA Republicans are 16 points more likely to describe the federal government as “authoritarian” (39% and 23%, respectively), and 14 points more likely to say “dictatorship” describes the federal government well (26% and 12%, respectively).

Bar chart from Navigator Research, titled: Non-MAGA Republicans Are More Willing to Describe the Federal Government as Undemocratic

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Why Americans Don’t Trust Their Elected Officials – And How to Fix it

Posted on by Julie

Poll: Corruption

This Navigator Research report covers the most recent perceptions of why elected officials are unable to get things done, including who Americans believe are more likely to be beholden to special interests, and how elected officials can show they can be trusted.

Why Elected Officials Can’t Get Things Done

Eight-in-10 Americans believe elected officials’ focus on enriching themselves and their donors stops them from getting things done, including 86% of Democrats, 78% of independents, and 74% of Republicans. Other top barriers to progress include: an unwillingness to reach across the aisle (77%), being out of touch and not understanding the struggles everyone else faces (77%), unwillingness to stand up to the most extreme members of their party (78%), and working for corporations instead of people (76%).

  • Among both independents and rural Americans, the perceived greatest barrier to elected officials getting things done is that they don’t understand the struggles everyone else faces (80%).
  • Among non-MAGA Republicans, the perceived greatest barrier is only doing what party leaders tell them to do (73%).
Bar chart from Navigator Research titled: Biggest Obstacles to Electeds Getting Things Done: Self-Enriching, Partisanship, Out of Touch, Extreme, Working for Corporations

Republicans Seen as More Likely to Be Working for Corporations Instead of the People

By 21 points, Americans believe Republicans are better described as “working for big corporations instead of the people” than Democrats (43% Republicans – 22% Democrats). By similar margins, Republicans are more viewed as: 

  • Focused on enriching themselves and their donors (net +15)
  • Out of touch and don’t understand the struggles everyone else faces (net +12)
  • Too focused on getting attention for themselves online and in the news (net +10)
Bar chart from Navigator Research titled: GOP Most Seen as Pro-Corporation, Self-Enriching, Attention-Focused, Out of Touch, Bowing to Party Leadership

Both Parties Viewed as Swayed by Special Interests

Americans are split on which party is better described as “incompetent and unable to come up with solutions to the biggest problems” (29% Democrats – 34% Republicans – 27% both equally), “only do what lobbyists and special interests tell them to do,” (28% Democrats – 32% Republicans – 29% both equally) and “distracted by unimportant issues” (31% Democrats – 33% Republicans – 29% both equally). For each of these descriptors, nearly half of independents believe they describe both parties equally.

Democrats Seen as More Ineffective and Weak

By 17 points, Americans believe “ineffective and weak” better describes Democrats than Republicans, though a plurality of independents believe it best describes both parties equally (40%).  By a six-point margin, Americans also believe “allow red tape and bureaucracy to get in the way of progress” better describes Democrats than Republicans.

Bar chart from Navigator Research titled: Democrats Are More Viewed as Ineffective, Weak, Allowing Red Tape to Get in the Way of Progress

How Elected Officials Can Build Trust with Americans

Across partisanship, majorities are more likely to trust an elected official who commits to term limits (67%), including 68% of Democrats, 55% of independents, and 69% of Republicans. Similarly, an elected official who refuses to take money from corporate donors and PACs would be viewed as more trustworthy (63%), including by 42% who say they would be “much” more likely to trust that elected official. Other popular reforms include:

  • Creating a non-partisan, open process to draw fair Congressional district maps (more likely to trust among 67% of Democrats, 55% of independents, 57% of Republicans)
  • Committing to not owning or trading individual stocks while in office (more likely to trust among 61% of Democrats, 47% of independents, 56% of Republicans).
  • Publicly releasing multiple years of their personal tax returns (more likely to trust among 64% of Democrats, 45% of independents, 53% of Republicans).
Bar chart from Navigator Research titled: Best Policies to Build Trust in Elected Officials: Term Limits, No Corporate Dollars, No Gerrymandering

Read more from Navigator: An early 2025 survey found that 74% believe the American political and economic system needs major changes. Within that three-quarters majority, 12% are so discontented that they believe the system needs to be torn down completely. Remarkably, this cuts fairly evenly across party lines. Our October 2025 focus groups on political dysfunction further underscored frustrations with the status quo and despair with the state of American politics.

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Poll: The Economy

This Navigator Research report covers the most recent perceptions of the economy, including how Americans are viewing the national economy, their own personal financial situations, and who they see in the government as best equipped to handle the cost of living.

Trump Approval

Trump’s approval ratings are deeply underwater. Just 41% of Americans approve of Trump’s handling of the presidency and 40% approve of his handling of the economy. Compared with Navigator’s polling conducted at the same time last year, presidential approval has sunk from net +2 in late January/early February 2025 (49% approve – 47% disapprove) to net -15 now (41% approve – 56% disapprove). Approval of Trump’s handling of the economy has seen a similar dip, falling from net +1 in early 2025 (47% approve – 46% disapprove) to net -17 (40% approve – 57% disapprove).

Line graph from Navigator Research, titled: Overall Trump Presidential Approval

Among independents and other groups, he’s even weaker. Just 24% of independents approve of Trump’s handling of the economy, and 30% approve of his handling of the presidency overall. Three quarters of Black Americans (75%) disapprove of Trump’s job as president, as do 64% of Hispanic Americans. Economic approval is similarly low for both groups – only 23% of Black Americans and 30% Hispanic Americans approve of Trump’s handling of the economy. While he’s underwater across generations, Gen Z stands out in their frustration with Trump’s job in office. Among Gen Z, approval of Trump’s presidency is net -34 (32% approve – 66% disapprove) and approval of his job handling the economy is net -30 (33% approve – 63% disapprove).

Economic Sentiments

Americans remain uneasy about their economic futures. Just 31% of Americans give the economy a positive rating, and only 4% would describe the economy as “excellent.” Americans’ views on the economy are guided heavily by their partisanship – though even many Republicans are negative. Only one-in-10 Democrats (11%) offer a positive assessment of the economy, while just over half of Republicans (54%) rate the economy positively – still, only 7% of Republicans would rate the economy as “excellent.” Independents remain unhappy with the economy; only 21% feel the economy today is in good shape.

Line graph from Navigator Research, titled: A Majority of Americans Continue to Rate the Economy Negatively

Americans feel a bit more optimistic about their own situation – but not by much. Overall, 39% feel confident, while 58% reported feeling “somewhat” or “very” uneasy about their pocketbooks. Again, partisanship plays a role: three-quarters of Democrats (75%) feel uneasy about their personal financial situations, while a slight majority (57%) of Republicans feel confident. As with overall economic sentiments, independents lean pessimistic. Only 32% of independents feel “confident” about their personal finances.

Line graph from Navigator Research, titled: On Their Own Personal Financial Situations, a Majority of Americans Remain Uneasy

Just 25% of passive news consumers (those who say their news comes to them, rather than them seeking it out) give the overall economy a positive rating, while only 31% are confident in their own finances. In comparison, active news consumers are 10-points more positive on the overall economy (35% v. 25%) and 13-points more confident in their personal finances (44% v. 31%).

Bar chart from Navigator Research, titled: Americans Are Unhappy With the Economy

Americans and Trump Remain on Different Pages

The disparity between Americans‘ priorities and what they think are Trump and Congressional Republicans’ priorities is stark. While 63% of Americans prioritize inflation and the cost of living, only 25% see it as a top focus of Republicans, a 38-point gap. While immigration is narrowly a top five priority for Americans at 32%, this is still 41 points lower than where they see the Trump administration’s focus (73%). Even among Republicans, just 51% place immigration in their top five desired areas of focus. The number two perceived focus of Trump and Congressional Republicans, foreign conflicts (47%), is of little interest to either Democrats (9%) or Republicans (11%).

Chart from Navigator Research, titled: Americans Want Congress and the President Focused on Affordability, But See Trump's Focus Elsewhere

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Do’s and Don’ts about Discussing ICE and Immigration

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Do’s and Don’ts about Discussing ICE and Immigration

As lawmakers discuss guardrails and reforms to ICE and stopping Trump’s unpopular immigration agenda, these topics will continue to dominate news coverage for the days and weeks ahead. Recent polling from Navigator found Americans are overwhelmingly supportive of reforms to ICE. There’s also support for withholding funding from ICE if Democrats in Congress don’t get the reforms they’re looking for, even if it risks a government shutdown.

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All eyes are on ICE

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Poll: ICE

This Navigator Research report covers Trump’s handling of immigration and mass deportations as well as messaging guidance on ICE.

Views Of Trump’s Handling Of Immigration And Mass Deportations

Americans’ approval of President Trump’s handling of immigration continues to fall to a net -12. Just two months ago, before Renee Good and Alex Pretti were killed by federal immigration officials, Trump’s net approval on immigration was at -7. Net approval of Trump’s handling of immigration is notably low among women (net -17 approval), people between 18 and 34 years of age (net -21 approval), people of color (net -40 approval), and independents (net -27 approval).

Bar chart from Navigator Research, titled: A Majority of Americans Disapprove of Trump’s Handling of Immigration, With Ratings Souring Most Among Independents

Nearly six-in-10 (59%) oppose the way Trump has deployed ICE. Similarly, majorities (52%) also disapprove of Trump’s mass deportation blame. In January 2025, a majority (51%) approved of Trump’s mass deportation plan.

For the first time since November, a majority (51%) say they’ve seen mostly negative news about Trump recently. ICE and immigration have dominated the positive and negative news coverage of Trump.

Americans Do Not Agree With Trump’s Mass Deportation Agenda

Nearly two-thirds (65%) of Americans say the Trump administration should mainly target their deportations towards those with convictions and criminal records. However, 64% say that the Trump administration is doing the opposite, targeting all undocumented people for deportation, regardless of whether or not they have a criminal record.

Bar chart from Navigator Research, titled: Americans Want to See Immigration Enforcement Focus on Criminals, But They See Trump Doing Something Very Different

Two-thirds (66%) of Americans support a balanced approach on immigration that focuses on fixing a broken system rather than a system focused on strict enforcement and mass deportations (25% support). This includes a plurality (48%) of 2024 Trump voters.

Bar chart from Navigator Research, titled: Americans Prefer a Balanced Immigration Approach By More Than 2-to-1

Worries About ICE

Nearly two-thirds (65%) of Americans are worried, including 50% who are extremely worried, about ICE agents acting violently towards people because agents lack training. Among those most concerned by this are independents (71% worried, 50% extremely worried), non-MAGA Republicans (51% worried, 30% extremely worried), and Black Americans (85% worried, 66% extremely worried).

Other top-testing concerns are ICE targeting people for their appearance (62% worried, 48% extremely worried) and ICE detaining children and separating families (63% worried, 47% extremely worried). General concerns regarding ICE targeting citizens and lawful residents (60% worried, 46% extremely worried) were just as concerning as concerns regarding ICE targeting residents in “your community” (58% worried, 44% extremely worried).

Bar chart from Navigator Research, titled: Top ICE Concerns: Violence, Lack of Training, Family Separation, Targeting People Based on Appearance, Targeting Citizens

Highlighting ICE’s Actions

A majority of Americans are concerned by ICE’s actions. Messages that Americans find concerning include:

  • ICE should be going after violent criminals, but instead is being far too aggressive and broad in its approach.
  • We are spending billions of dollars on ICE to terrorize our communities while cutting billions from things that help Americans get by, like health care and food assistance in Medicaid and SNAP.
  • ICE is acting like a secret police force in a dictatorship that is completely loyal to Trump: masked agents are terrorizing communities and killing citizens.
  • ICE is tearing families apart, detaining and zip-tying children and separating U.S. citizen children from their families.
  • ICE is supposed to be making our communities safer, but they’re making us less safe.
Bar chart from Navigator Research, titled: Top Messaging Against ICE: Too Broad, Costing Billions That Should Go to Health Care, ICE As a Secret Police Force

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