Fox News Poll: Most rate the economy negatively, including half of Republicans

It’s less than five months until the midterm elections and voters are not happy with what’s in their wallets.

Only 12% say they are getting ahead financially, most think the economy is in bad shape, more than half think President Donald Trump’s policies benefit people who have money, and their outlook on the economy is negative. 

That’s according to a new Fox News poll that finds the president’s numbers have declined since last year. 

Some 59% of voters feel pessimistic about the economy, worse by 4 points compared to last June (55%). That’s a stark contrast from the bullish views during Trump’s first term, when 57% felt optimistic (June 2019). 

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Forty-four percent say they’re falling behind financially. That’s more than felt that way last year by 8 points (36% falling behind) and by 3 points compared to June 2024 (41%).

One in four, 26%, rates the economy positively, better by 3 points since last month and generally in line with views this year — but still below last June’s 31% positive marks. Around three-quarters consistently rate the economy negatively (73%).

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Big picture, 37% are satisfied with the direction of the country. That’s mostly unchanged since March, but down from 44% last July. Even with the 7-point decline since last summer, satisfaction is higher today than what it was for most of former President Joe Biden’s term.

Those satisfaction ratings closely match Trump’s job performance, as his approval stands at 39%. That’s unchanged since last month, but down 7 points compared to 46% approval last June. His lowest approval for either term is 38% in October 2017. 

Twenty percent think Trump’s economic policies benefit everyone, while a 54% majority says they help people with more money than they have, and 15% say they help “no one.” The share saying the president’s policies help everyone is down from 31% in 2019 (Trump), 27% in 2023 (Biden), and 23% in 2015 (Obama).

Opinions on the economy are largely based on party identification. Among Republicans, the biggest share says Trump’s policies help everyone (42%), half say they’re holding steady financially (49%), half rate economic conditions positively (50%), and two-thirds feel optimistic (66%). 

It’s the opposite among Democrats: 81% feel pessimistic about the economy, 91% rate it negatively, more than half say they’re falling behind (55%), and 71% think the president’s policies help people with more money.

Approval of the president is near record lows among some of his key constituencies, sitting a single point above his all-time floor among men (43%), White voters (44%), White evangelical Christians (61%), and Republicans (81%). His support among White men without a college degree stands at 50%, only 2 points ahead of his low-water mark.

The 23% approving of Trump’s handling of gas prices marks a rare moment of consensus — voters across the board are unhappy with the president — as majorities of Democrats (95%), independents (88%), and Republicans (53%) disapprove.

On the economy overall, 31% approve of the job Trump is doing, up from a record low 29% in May. A year ago, 40% approved. While a majority of Republicans approve, most Democrats and independents disapprove.

On immigration, 43% approve, the lowest of Trump’s second term, but still his best issue. 

These ratings are driven, at least in part, by 51% thinking his immigration enforcement has gone too far. 

In addition, views on the immigration role of local governments have flipped. Currently, 53% say local governments should control immigration enforcement in their communities, while 46% believe cooperation with ICE should be required. Last year, it was the reverse: 51% favored requiring ICE cooperation and 45% preferred local control.

Poll-pourri

Trust in the federal government stands at a low of 25%. That’s down from 32% in both 2025 and 2024. The previous low was 31% in 2023. Trust stood at a high of 54% in 2002, but hasn’t hit 40% since 2012. 

During the last year of the Biden administration, 44% of Democrats distrusted the government (2024), and that increased to 73% in 2025 and 83% this year. 

Among Republicans, more than 6 in 10 (63%) don’t trust the government, up 15 points compared to last summer (48%), but down from 85% two years ago. Currently, 57% of MAGA Republicans and 73% of non-MAGA Republicans lack faith in Uncle Sam. 

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Distrust has held fairly steady among independents recently: 80% today vs. 80% in 2025 and 72% in 2024. 

Six in 10 voters believe the government spends too little time combating fraud in federal programs, and another 66% say recent efforts have been ineffective. 

While Democrats (55%) and Republicans (63%) agree the government isn’t doing enough to stop fraud, they disagree on recent performance: a majority of Republicans (56%) say efforts to prevent fraud have been effective, while most Democrats say the reverse (83% ineffective). Views among independents are the most critical, as they think the government isn’t doing enough (67%) and what it has done has been ineffective (78%).

Conducted June 12-15, 2026, under the direction of Beacon Research (D) and Shaw & Company Research (R), this Fox News survey includes interviews with a sample of 1,002 registered voters randomly selected from a national voter file. Respondents spoke with live interviewers on landlines (101) and cellphones (644) or completed the survey online after receiving a text (257). Results based on the full sample have a margin of sampling error of ±3 percentage points. Sampling error for results among subgroups is higher. In addition to sampling error, question wording and order can influence results. Weights are generally applied to age, race, education, and area variables to ensure the demographics are representative of the registered voter population. Sources for developing weight targets include the most recent American Community Survey, Fox News Voter Analysis, and voter file data.

Fox News’ Victoria Balara contributed to this report.