UMass Amherst Poll Reveals Americans' Views on Key National Issues

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A series of results released by the UMass Amherst Poll shed light on Americans' perspectives on presidential performance, federal spending, economic concerns, immigration, and governmental checks and balances. Topline results and crosstabs for the poll can be found here. 

Majority Disapprove of President Trump's Job Performance

As President Donald Trump approaches the three-month mark of his return to the White House, a new UMass Amherst Poll indicates that 51% of Americans disapprove of his job performance, while 44% approve. Notably, nearly two-thirds of respondents oppose the idea of Trump seeking a third term, viewing it as a challenge to the Constitution. "Three months into his presidency, Trump's policy agenda is in serious trouble," says Jesse Rhodes, co-director of UMass Poll. "The problem is simple: Trump's approach to policy is unpopular. A majority of Americans believe he is not handling inflation, trade, civil rights, or foreign affairs well, and a near majority feels the same about Trump's handling of jobs." 

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Public Skepticism Toward Elon Musk's Federal Spending Cuts

UMass Amherst Poll results reveal widespread distrust of Elon Musk's role in leading the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). Those polled express concerns about Musk's ability to identify appropriate federal programs to cut, protect citizens private information, and avoid conflicts of interest benefitting his business ventures. Additionally, 56% of those polled believe Musk holds too much influence over the federal government. 

Of particular note are results related to Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid. "In recent days, the Trump administration and several prominent Republican members of the U.S. Congress have hinted that cuts to Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid spending may be next on the agenda, leading many to question whether Trump's efforts to rein in spending may have gone too far," notes Tatishe Nteta, director of UMass Poll. "Our results suggest that any cuts to these programs will be extremely unpopular as approximately 7 in 10 Americans oppose cuts to Social Security (72%), Medicare (71%), and Medicaid (67%), with majorities of respondents stating they strongly oppose cuts to each." 

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Economic Pessimism and Concerns Over Governmental Checks and Balances

According to UMass Amherst Poll, three-quarters of Americans hold a negative view of the national economy. Furthermore, majorities feel that the country is on the wrong track and express dissatisfaction with the functioning of the nation's system of checks and balances, indicating a broader unease with the current state of governance. Only 35% of respondants believe the country is going in the right direction. 

"This is a substantial decline compared to surveys in March taken by other pollsters," says Raymond La Raja, co-director of UMass Poll. "Even among Trump voters there is considerable uncertainty early in the Trump presidency when partisan voters typically seem more 'gung-ho' about where the country is going."

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Mixed Feelings on Immigration Policies

In recent results from the UMass Poll, Americans displayed nuanced views on immigration. While there is majority support for birthright citizenship and providing a path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants without criminal records, there is also substantial backing for deporting those with criminal records and utilizing the military to enforce immigration laws. 

"Immigration is the only issue on which Americans evaluate Donald Trump's performance favorably rather than unfavorably, but there is tremendous divison on both this administration's overall handling of immigration and specific approaches to immigration," says Alexander Theodoridis, co-director of UMass Poll. 

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