Fox News Poll: Sour voters say Washington is out of touch

Voters are not only dissatisfied with the direction of the country but also pessimistic about the economic outlook, financially strained in their own lives and unconvinced Washington leaders are in touch or will offer solutions. 

That’s according to a new Fox News national survey released Thursday. 

Nearly two-thirds, 64%, are dissatisfied with how things are going in the U.S. 

While that’s the highest dissatisfaction rating of President Trump’s second term, it’s also a small improvement from the 68% who were unhappy at the end of the Biden administration in December 2024.

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At the same time, majorities say national leaders are out of touch with people like them. Six in 10 voters say the White House is out of touch (60%), and similar shares say the same about congressional Republicans (61%) and congressional Democrats (58%). 

A quarter of both Democrats and Republicans think their respective party’s lawmakers are out of touch. Half of non-MAGA Republicans say the White House is out of touch.

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Trump receives negative marks across issues. His worst numbers are on inflation, with a new low of 28% approving. That’s down 7 points since January and 12 points since March 2025.

His 34% approval for the economy is another new low, down 6 points since January and 9 points from a year ago. Other ratings are also well underwater: healthcare (36 approve, 64 disapprove), Iran (36-64), taxes (36-64), foreign policy (38-62), and immigration (44-56). His best issue is border security (50-50), where equal numbers approve and disapprove.

The president’s overall job rating stands at 41% approve and 59% disapprove. Former President Obama had similar ratings at a comparable point in his second term, 40%-53% in March 2014.

Trump’s 59% disapproval is the highest of either term. Last month, 43% approved and 57% disapproved. A year ago, views were nearly evenly divided, 49-51%.

Current approval of Trump among Republicans is 84%, a second-term low (down from 92% last March), while disapproval has reached a high of 16%. Approval among non-MAGA Republicans dropped 11 points over the past year (70% to 59%). MAGA Republicans remain nearly unanimous with 97% approval, little changed from 98% a year ago. Fully 95% of Democrats disapprove, tying a record high this term. Independents are also negative, 75% disapprove.

The economy remains central to dissatisfaction. Large numbers of Democrats (91%) and independents (90%) rate it negatively, as do more than half of Republicans (52%).

Overall, 75% of voters say the economy is in bad shape, up 4 points since last month (71%). The number giving the economy negative marks has ranged from 67% to 79% since Trump took office in January 2025.

Personal financial assessments are similarly downbeat, with nearly half, 46%, saying they are falling behind. That’s up from 44% in December and just one point below the record high of 47% in June 2022.

That strain is reflected by 61% saying they could not miss more than two paychecks and still pay their bills. That’s up from 54% in both 2023 and 2019.

Two years ago, 17% lived paycheck-to-paycheck. Now, 27% say they couldn’t miss even one payday. That number climbs to 37% for those with annual household income below $50,000.

Neither major party has convinced voters it has a clear plan to address costs. Some 68% say the Democratic Party lacks a clear plan for bringing prices down, while 70% say the same about the GOP. More than 4 in 10 say neither party has a plan. Equal numbers of Democrats and Republicans, 59%, say their respective party has a clear plan.

"The issue environment in 2026 has almost completely flipped from 2022 and 2024," says Daron Shaw, a Republican who conducts the survey with Democrat Chris Anderson. "Voters don’t think either side has a plan, of course, but since the GOP is in charge, they shoulder the blame."

To top things off, voters don’t see the economy getting better anytime soon. A 53% majority anticipates economic conditions will worsen in the next year, up from 45% in January and more than double the share who see improvement (25%).

Republicans are alone in their optimism, expecting the economy to improve by a 19-point margin. Both independents (by 44 points) and Democrats (by 68 points) see the economy declining next year by wide margins. 

Concerns about the economy — day-to-day costs in particular — top the list of what worries voters most. A large majority of 86% is concerned about inflation and high prices, including 57% who are extremely concerned. Around 8 in 10 express concerns about healthcare (81%), gas prices (80%), and political divisions in the country (80%).

Seven in ten or more are worried about unemployment (73%), potential attacks in the United States (73% by Islamic terrorists and 70% non-Islamic terrorists) and their ability to pay their bills (70%). Concern also extends to gun violence (69%), Iran obtaining nukes (66%), AI technology (66%), antisemitism (63%) and detentions and deportations by ICE (62%).

Inflation is the top concern for Democrats, Republicans and independents. Healthcare is second for Democrats and independents, while Islamic terrorist attacks are second for Republicans. There is a consensus that political divisions within the country are a problem, with most Democrats (85%), Republicans (80%), and independents (70%) expressing concern.  

Worry about gas prices is widespread, with about 8 in 10 across all income levels — including $100,000 and above — saying they are concerned.

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Poll-pourri

Sixty-nine percent of voters support birthright citizenship for children born in the United States to illegal immigrants. That’s up from 67% in 2025 and from 45% when Fox News first asked the question in 2006. Current support stands at 91% among Democrats, 75% among independents and 44% among Republicans. The U.S. Supreme Court will hear a birthright citizenship case April 1.

Conducted March 20-23, 2026, under the direction of Beacon Research (D) and Shaw & Company Research (R), this Fox News survey includes interviews with a sample of 1,001 registered voters randomly selected from a national voter file. Respondents spoke with live interviewers on landlines (104) and cellphones (641) or completed the survey online after receiving a text (256). 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.