Nearly half strongly disapprove of Congress’s job performance; both parties draw skepticism
Preliminary first-wave results from the Voter Poll by SSRS were based on more than 79,000 registered voters. The poll included registered voters in all 50 states, with interviews conducted at voting locations, online and by telephone between Oct. 19 and Nov. 3. Its margin of error was plus or minus 0.6 percentage point for the full national sample.
Preliminary results from a large national survey showed many voters headed to the polls unhappy with the country’s direction and looking to the midterm election for change in Washington, two years after voters handed Republicans control of Washington. Democrats appeared well-positioned to take control of the House and had a shot at flipping the Senate.
Roughly nine in 10 voters said the cost of living was a crucial or major factor in how they voted for Congress, with high fuel and food prices a top voter concern. The survey recorded displeasure over President Trump’s job performance: roughly four in 10 said one of the reasons behind their U.S. House vote was to express opposition to Trump, and roughly three-quarters said they felt dissatisfied or angry about the way things are going nationally.
Almost two-thirds of voters said inflation was up more because of Trump’s policies, while the rest said it was more the result of factors outside his control.
Trump has cast the economy as on solid ground. In the closing weeks of the campaign, he said “the golden age of America is upon us,” called the economy strong and said “inflation is way down.”
Roughly three-quarters of voters in the survey said the economy isn’t so good or is poor. Only about two in 10 voters said inflation caused their family severe hardship in the past year, but nearly six in 10 said it had caused moderate hardship. While views of the economy were overwhelmingly negative, many voters felt more comfortable with their own finances: more than half said their own family situation was better or about the same as two years ago.
Offered a list of six issues and asked to pick the one that is the most important for the nation, about four in 10 voters picked the economy, and one-third said the state of democracy.
Republicans currently control the Senate 53-47 and have a 219-214 edge in the House, including one independent who conferences with the GOP. There are two vacancies.
Almost half of respondents said they strongly disapprove of the job Congress is doing, and roughly seven in 10 said the institution isn’t doing enough to provide checks and balances on the president.
The survey also found about six in 10 voters had an unfavorable view of the Republican Party, while a bit more than half saw the Democratic Party that way.
The report characterized the Trump presidency as having been financially beneficial to the president’s family. About six in 10 surveyed voters said they think the nation’s leader gives priority to his own personal interests over the country’s.
The report said the war with Iran has been a major factor in driving fuel and fertilizer prices higher, and about six in 10 voters said the U.S. made the wrong decision in taking military action there.
Asked about Trump’s tariff policies, almost two-thirds of voters said they have hurt the economy.
The report said immigration-enforcement actions have resulted in disruptions and even the deaths of some Americans, including two shootings of Minneapolis residents in January. About six in 10 voters said they disapprove of how the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency is doing its job.
About six in 10 voters said they were very or somewhat confident that the election was conducted fairly and accurately across the country, even as the same survey registered dissatisfaction with Trump, Congress and the country’s direction.