Survey Says is a weekly column rounding up three of a very powerful polling tendencies or knowledge factors it is advisable to learn about. You’ll additionally discover data-based updates on previous Day by day Kos reporting, plus a vibe examine on a pattern that’s driving politics.
Individuals don’t again Trump the Imperialist
President Donald Trump needs to purchase—or take by drive—Greenland, Canada, the Gaza Strip, and the Panama Canal. “We will own it,” Trump mentioned of Gaza, together with all of the trademark coverage particulars he’s identified for (none).
However Individuals aren’t right here for it.
A brand new ballot from Information for Progress finds that seemingly voters largely oppose the U.S. taking possession of every location. Voters are shut to separate on the Panama Canal (41% help, 46% oppose), which the U.S. turned over to the Panamanians on the finish of 1999. However in relation to the opposite places, it’s not even shut: Majorities oppose the U.S. taking Greenland, Canada, and most starkly, Gaza. Solely 23% need the U.S. to manage Gaza, whereas 62% oppose that concept.
And regardless of Trump’s flirtation with deploying U.S. troops to take Gaza, even a majority of Republican-likely voters (52%) oppose his concept.
After all, Trump’s territorial expansionism doesn’t finish there. On the primary day of his new time period, he signed an govt order to rename the Gulf of Mexico because the “Gulf of America” (and one other order to make Feb. 9 “Gulf of America Day,” as a result of the whole lot have to be this silly).
A brand new ballot from Marquette College Regulation Faculty—among the finest within the polling recreation—finds that simply 29% help Trump’s “Gulf of America” rebrand, whereas a staggering 71% oppose it. Whereas 57% of Republicans help it (due to course they do), solely 16% of independents and 4% of Democrats do.
With numbers like that, Trump actually ought to’ve simply gone together with his first plan: to rename it the Gulf of Trump and dye the water gold.
Billionaires, billionaires, billionaires—you and me are by way of
Billionaire Elon Musk delivered his first Oval Workplace tackle this previous Tuesday, regardless of, you already know, not being president. And there’s a powerful probability that the Tesla man is delusional about his enchantment to the American public—as a result of billionaires, nicely … Individuals aren’t so scorching on them.
Seventy-three % of seemingly voters suppose billionaires have an excessive amount of affect over the federal authorities, in accordance with a brand new ballot from Information for Progress. That features majorities of Democrats (80%), independents or third-party voters (80%), and Republicans (63%).
President Donald Trump listens as Elon Musk speaks within the Oval Workplace on the White Home on Feb. 11, 2025.
Relating to Musk himself, not solely do robust majorities of Democrats (79%) and independents and third-party voters (65%) imagine he has an excessive amount of affect, even 1 in 3 Republicans thinks so.
And that tracks with public opinion about billionaires usually. New polling from YouGov finds that 55% of Individuals suppose the federal government ought to attempt to shut the wealth hole between the richest and poorest Individuals, whereas simply 22% suppose the federal government shouldn’t attempt to.
Even wilder, 49% of Individuals suppose the federal government ought to “try to reduce the share of wealth” held by American billionaires. This phrasing is extra radically progressive because it focuses on taking cash away from the ultrarich and, not like the earlier query, doesn’t point out poorer Individuals in any respect. And but even 1 in 3 Republicans nonetheless helps any such governmental motion. Solely 27% of Individuals oppose it.
To be honest, quite a lot of respondents certainly assume any such wealth discount can be used to profit these with much less cash. (I.e., if the ultrarich’s share of wealth lowers, then the less-rich sees their share of it rise.)
Nevertheless it’s additionally attainable that Individuals simply don’t like billionaires. Take heed, Musk.
5 years of COVID-19
COVID-19 has claimed greater than 1.2 million Individuals’ lives since Jan. 1, 2020, in accordance with the Facilities for Illness Management and Prevention. And whereas the pandemic has largely pale as a well being menace, its harm to American households continues to today, in accordance with a major new examine by the Pew Analysis Middle that displays on 5 years of COVID-19.
About 1 in 4 Individuals say the pandemic took a significant toll on them, and practically 1 in 2 mentioned it took a minor toll. In contrast with the general public at massive, Individuals underneath the age of fifty are considerably extra prone to say it took a significant toll on them, as are Hispanic Individuals.
Whereas 44% of Individuals say they’ve largely recovered from the toll the pandemic took on them, 1 in 4 have solely considerably recovered, and 6% haven’t recovered in any respect.
The pandemic indisputably furthered the partisan divide, from Republicans’ rage at primary well being precautions like masking and vaccination to Democrats’ fury at Trump’s refusal to take the pandemic severely. And Pew’s knowledge displays that divide rising throughout 2020. As an illustration, in March 2020, comparable shares of Democrats (74%) and Republicans (84%) mentioned that the CDC was doing a superb or good job at managing the disaster. Nevertheless, by January 2022, simply 26% of Republicans had the identical opinion, whereas Democrats’ view largely hadn’t modified (69%).
So it is smart that 72% of Individuals agree the pandemic drove the nation additional aside, in accordance with Pew’s newest knowledge.
Nevertheless, greater than 1 in 10 Individuals suppose the pandemic largely introduced the nation collectively (sure, actually), and one other 16% say it didn’t have an effect on issues both means. Nevertheless it’s attainable that these of us—a mixed 27%—are lots of the similar ones who say the pandemic took no toll on them in any respect (25%).
Any updates?
Trump and co. are testing the waters of a constitutional disaster, suggesting they might disobey courtroom orders of their pursuit of smothering the federal authorities—however they could face an enormous public backlash for it. Fifty-seven % of Individuals suppose a decide’s order trumps a president’s, with solely 21% pondering the alternative, in accordance with a brand new YouGov ballot. (And sure, that 21% is essentially made up of Republicans, who’d certainly have a special opinion if a Democrat had been scribbling out orders within the White Home.)
Eggs! You already know ’em, you’re keen on ’em, you may’t afford ’em—and Trump doesn’t care, as Day by day Kos has coated completely. And people skyrocketing costs aren’t escaping Individuals, 61% of whom have seen egg costs growing “a lot,” in accordance with a brand new YouGov ballot. One other 20% have seen “a little” value improve.
Vibe examine
Although it’s been 5 years since COVID-19 hit the general public consciousness, it’s simply now been three years since Individuals stopped worrying a lot about it. Jan. 17, 2022, was the final time extra registered voters had been involved a few native COVID-19 outbreak than weren’t, in accordance with knowledge from Civiqs.
Curiously, although, the web degree of concern has lately ticked up from its nadir of -71 proportion factors in Could 2024. It’s now -55 factors. Maybe fears round fowl flu have gotten of us anxious about outbreaks extra usually. It may be a cyclical factor since concern additionally rose final winter.
Marketing campaign Motion
