Fox News poll shows voters sour on economy and Trump

Voters are increasingly pessimistic about the economy and President Trump's handling of key issues, while a majority opposes continued U.S. military involvement in Iran even as most believe the U.S. is winning the war. That is according to a new Fox News national survey.

Affordability continues to dominate voter concerns. Fifty-eight percent flag the cost of living as their top economic worry, up from 50 percent in February. This eclipses other issues such as government spending at 16 percent, jobs at 8 percent and tariffs at 8 percent.

More than three-quarters also say the economy is in bad shape, 77 percent, worse than last month at 73 percent and a year ago at 71 percent. Only 23 percent rate it positively, the lowest in more than a year.

The pessimism is personal too. A slim majority of voters, 51 percent, say their family's finances are worse now than two years ago. Before the 2022 midterm elections, 44 percent said the same.

All that helps explain the deterioration in Trump's ratings on the economy. A year ago, 56 percent of voters disapproved and last month it was 66 percent; now it is 71 percent. The increase since April comes from a 7-point rise in disapproval among Republicans.

Notably, approval of Trump on the economy among non-MAGA Republicans at 36 percent is more in line with independents at 18 percent than with MAGA Republicans at 74 percent. The president's overall approval on handling the economy stands at just 29 percent, down from 34 percent in April.

Trump gets his lowest ratings on inflation, where only 24 percent approve, down from 35 percent in January. Inflation marks a rare issue where a slim majority of Republicans, 51 percent, disapprove of Trump. It reaches 85 percent among independents and 96 percent among Democrats.

His job numbers are also net negative on foreign policy at 38-62 percent. Until this month, border security was the one issue where Trump received a positive rating. Now voters are split 49-51 percent on his border security performance, pushing his ratings underwater for the first time this term. That shift comes even as 45 percent of voters say border security is better today than two years ago, while 29 percent say it is worse.

Approval of Trump's overall job performance is 39 percent, down 3 points since last month and 10 points since his second term started, and only 1 point above his lowest in October 2017. A record 61 percent disapprove of the job he is doing, including 48 percent who strongly disapprove.

Since April, approval has declined among some of his key constituencies, such as rural Whites down 6 points, White men without a degree down 5 points, and Republicans down 3 points.

Trump approval is at all-time lows among Republicans at 80 percent, non-MAGA Republicans at 54 percent, Whites at 43 percent and rural voters at 43 percent.

"Despite consistently strong GOP support, the president's numbers are leaking a bit," says Republican pollster Daron Shaw, who conducts the Fox News Poll with Democrat Chris Anderson. "Make no mistake; it's all about affordability. Independents jumped ship in 2025, and now non-MAGA Republicans and other core constituencies are wavering."

Plus, in the long run, more voters think Trump's policies will hurt the country at 57 percent than help it at 34 percent. The share saying "hurt" is up 6 points since last April. Fully 88 percent of MAGA Republicans say his policies will help, while only 43 percent of non-MAGA Republicans agree.

Meanwhile, gas prices are squeezing voter budgets: 86 percent call rising prices a problem, including 51 percent who label them a "major" problem. Concern is nearly universal for the broader economy, where 96 percent see gas prices as a problem and 75 percent call it "major."

When assigning blame for gas prices, voters aimed heavily at domestic factors, with about 8 in 10 pointing to Trump's policies, domestic oil companies, and government regulations. However, they overwhelmingly view the Iran war as the primary driver, with 91 percent saying it is responsible.

Two-thirds think the U.S. is winning the war in Iran, yet opposition to U.S. military action increased to 60 percent, up from 55 percent last month.

Half think the war will last a year at 18 percent or more at 33 percent, unchanged since March, while 6 in 10 favor a limited timeframe for U.S. involvement in Iran, including 3 in 10 war supporters and 4 in 10 Republicans.

Almost all Republicans at 89 percent and two-thirds of independents believe the U.S. is winning the war, while more than half of Democrats say Iran is winning at 56 percent. Generationally, voters under age 30 are the most likely to believe the U.S. is winning at 79 percent, yet they are also some of the most opposed to the war at 67 percent.

Among voters who have served in the military, 55 percent support the U.S. action against Iran and 72 percent believe the U.S. is winning the war.

Last summer, voter concern about Iran getting a nuclear bomb was at a record high 78 percent. Today it is at a record low 56 percent, down from 66 percent in March. Concern since March is down among Democrats down 13 points, independents down 11 points, and Republicans down 6 points.

While 45 percent approve of Trump's handling of the U.S.-China summit, a 54 percent majority disapproves. That matches views of the negotiation's outcome: 52 percent believe Chinese President Xi Jinping got more of what he wanted compared to 46 percent for Trump. More than a quarter of Republicans at 27 percent join majorities of Democrats at 75 percent and independents at 56 percent in thinking Xi won the summit, as do nearly a quarter of those who otherwise approve of Trump's handling of the trip at 24 percent.

Conducted May 15-18, 2026, under the direction of Beacon Research and Shaw & Company Research, 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 and cellphones or completed the survey online after receiving a text. Results based on the full sample have a margin of sampling error of plus or minus 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.