FEBRUARY HARVARD CAPS / HARRIS POLL: 58% OF VOTERS ARE MORE SATISFIED WITH TRUMP'S JOB AS PRESIDENT THAN BIDEN

DEMOCRATIC PARTY APPROVAL HITS A RECORD LOW AT 36%, NOW 15 POINTS LOWER THAN THE GOP

72% OF VOTERS SUPPORT THE EXISTENCE OF A U.S. GOVERNMENT AGENCY FOCUSED ON EFFICIENCY INITIATIVES

VOTERS WANT UKRAINE TO NEGOTIATE A SETTLEMENT WITH RUSSIA, BUT MOST ARE OPPOSED TO TERRITORIAL CONCESSIONS AND WANT THE U.S. TO GIVE SECURITY GUARANTEES

NEW YORK and CAMBRIDGE, Mass., Feb. 24, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Stagwell (NASDAQ:STGW) today released the results of the February Harvard CAPS / Harris poll, a monthly collaboration between the Center for American Political Studies at Harvard (CAPS) and the Harris Poll and HarrisX.

In his first month in office, President Donald Trump's approval rating is at 52%, with voters most satisfied with his job on immigration, reducing the cost of the government, and returning America to its values. The majority of voters support Trump's policies on the border, focus on government expenditures, gender, DEI, and offshore drilling but have concerns on his foreign policies involving tariffs, the Israel-Hamas war, and the war in Ukraine. Download key results here.

"People are taking a generally positive wait-and-see attitude for Trump but have really reassessed their attitudes toward Biden, Harris, and the Democrats, taking a much harsher, more negative attitude," said Mark Penn, Co-Director of the Harvard CAPS / Harris poll and Stagwell Chairman and CEO. "Trump has a real opportunity here – we're seeing a healthy, trudging approval edging toward real approval based on how the next couple of months turn out."

VOTERS FEELING MORE OPTIMISTIC ABOUT DIRECTION OF COUNTRY AND ECONOMY

• 42% of voters say the country is on the right track, up 14 points from January 2025 (Democrats: 21% (-9); Republicans: 71% (+37); Independents: 31% (+12)).
• 31% of voters say their personal financial situation is improving (+5), particularly among Republican, male, Black, and urban voters.
• Inflation and immigration remain the top two issues for voters, with a 6-point increase in concern over corruption.

TRUMP AND THE REPUBLICANS START SECOND TERM WITH NET FAVORABLE RATINGS

• Donald Trump's favorability stands at 50%, with a net favorable of +7 points.
• More voters have a favorable rather than unfavorable view of key cabinet members such Robert F. Kennedy Jr. (+9), J.D. Vance (+4), and Tulsi Gabbard (+3).
• Voters are split on Elon Musk and Mike Johnson.
• The Democratic Party received its lowest approval rating since at least March 2018, with 33% of Democrats, 86% Republicans, and 70% Independents disapproving. 49% of voters approve of the Republican Party (+1). 36% of voters approve of Congress (+5).

TRUMP POLICIES RECEIVE MAJORITY SUPPORT BUT FACE CONCERN OVER INFLATION AND DIVISIVENESS

• All of Trump's key policies received majority support except for renaming the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America, with deportation of illegal immigrants who have committed crimes (81%), eliminating fraud and waste in government expenditures (76%), and closing the border (76%) as the top three most supported policies.
• 55% of voters support birthright citizenship for the children of illegal immigrants, with 63% believing it is a requirement in the U.S. constitution, breaking with Trump on the issue.
• 70% of voters believe the government should make hiring decisions based on merit and objective evaluation rather than to achieve diversity. 51% of voters say Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion departments are needed in government.
• 40% of voters say Trump's policies will make them financially better off, while 36% believe Trump's policies will make them worse off. 46% of voters say Trump's policies will increase inflation.
• 54% of voters are worried that Trump's actions will divide the country (Democrats: 82%; Republicans: 20%; Independents: 61%).

VOTERS OVERWHELMINGLY SUPPORT CUTTING DOWN GOVERNMENT EXPENDITURES BUT ARE SENSITIVE AROUND DATA PRIVACY

• 67% of voters say the current level of U.S. federal government debt is unsustainable.
• 83% of voters favor reducing government expenditures over increasing taxes, and 77% say a full examination of all government expenditures is necessary.
• 70% of voters say government expenditures are filled with waste, fraud, and inefficiency (Democrats: 58%; Republicans: 78%; Independents: 75%), and 69% support the goal of cutting $1 trillion of government expenditures.
• 60% of voters think DOGE is helping make major cuts in government expenditures.
• 58% of voters say DOGE employees should not have access to sensitive information on Americans who benefit from government expenditure programs; including names, social security numbers, addresses, and incomes (Democrats: 75%; Republicans: 39%; Independents: 63%).

TARIFFS SEE MAJORITY SUPPORT BUT VOTERS SPLIT OVER CONCERN ON WHETHER THEY WILL HARM OR HELP

• 57% of voters say tariffs are an effective foreign and economic policy tool. The plurality of voters (44%) believe tariffs on imported goods will increase U.S. government revenue.
• 62% of voters believe tariffs will raise prices of everyday goods (Democrats: 75%; Republicans: 50%; Independents: 62%).
• 54% of voters say tariffs will help the Trump administration get concessions from other countries, but 49% of voters say the recent tariffs on Mexican, Canadian, and Chinese imports will harm rather than help, and 46% of voters say his tariffs on steel and aluminum imports will do harm.
• 61% of voters support reciprocal tariffs, with voters split on whether they will harm or help. 53% of voters believe reciprocal tariffs will cause other countries to lower their tariffs on U.S. goods.

THE MAJORITY OF VOTERS SUPPORT ENDING THE WAR IN UKRAINE, BUT OPPOSE LEAVING OUT UKRAINE AND EUROPEAN LEADERS FROM NEGOTIATIONS

• 72% of voters say they want Ukraine to negotiate a settlement with Russia instead of winning the war. 60% of voters favor Trump announcing direct U.S.-Russia negotiations (Democrats: 40%; Republicans: 85%; Independents: 53%).
• 59% of voters oppose the Trump administration leaving Ukraine's leaders out of negotiations with Russia. 55% of voters oppose the exclusion of European leaders.
• 57% of voters oppose the Trump administration forcing Ukraine to make territorial concessions to end the war, and 66% of voters say Ukraine should receive security guarantees from the U.S. if it were to make concessions.
• 61% of voters say security guarantees should be contingent on Ukraine sharing revenue from rare earth elements to pay back U.S. military support.
• 63% of voters believe Russia will continue to advance onto other countries if it successfully claims Ukrainian territory. 

VOTERS SPLIT ON WHETHER TRUMP WAS SERIOUS ABOUT THE U.S. TAKING OVER GAZA, BELIEVE IT IS A BAD IDEA

• 54% of voters support Trump's handling of the Israel-Hamas conflict thus far.
• 67% of voters have heard of Trump's proposal that the U.S. should take over Gaza to redevelop it. 47% of voters believe Trump was being serious, and 53% believe he was posturing to start negotiations.
• 70% of voters believe the U.S. taking over Gaza is a bad idea. 56% of voters oppose removing Palestinians from Gaza to rebuild the territory.
• Support for Israel over Hamas in the conflict remains high, with 77% of voters supporting Israel.
• 76% of voters say Iran's nuclear weapons facilities should be destroyed. 57% of voters say the U.S. should support Israel in airstrikes on such facilities (Democrats: 45%; Republicans: 74%; Independents: 51%).

The February Harvard CAPS / Harris poll survey was conducted online within the United States on February 19-20, 2025, among 2,443 registered voters by The Harris Poll and HarrisX. Follow the Harvard CAPS / Harris poll podcast at https://www.markpennpolls.com/ or on iHeart Radio, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and other podcast platforms. 

About The Harris Poll & HarrisX

The Harris Poll is a global consulting and market research firm that strives to reveal the authentic values of modern society to inspire leaders to create a better tomorrow. It works with clients in three primary areas: building twenty-first-century corporate reputation, crafting brand strategy and performance tracking, and earning organic media through public relations research. One of the longest-running surveys in the U.S., The Harris Poll has tracked public opinion, motivations, and social sentiment since 1963, and is now part of Stagwell, the challenger holding company built to transform marketing.

HarrisX is a technology-driven market research and data analytics company that conducts multi-method research in the U.S. and over 40 countries around the world on behalf of Fortune 100 companies, public policy institutions, global leaders, NGOs and philanthropic organizations. HarrisX was the most accurate pollster of the 2020 U.S. presidential election.

About the Harvard Center for American Political Studies

The Center for American Political Studies (CAPS) is committed to and fosters the interdisciplinary study of U.S. politics.  Governed by a group of political scientists, sociologists, historians, and economists within the Faculty of Arts and Sciences at Harvard University, CAPS drives discussion, research, public outreach, and pedagogy about all aspects of U.S. politics. CAPS encourages cutting-edge research using a variety of methodologies, including historical analysis, social surveys, and formal mathematical modeling, and it often cooperates with other Harvard centers to support research training and encourage cross-national research about the United States in comparative and global contexts. More information at https://caps.gov.harvard.edu/.

Contact:

Carrie Hsu

[email protected]  

 

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