Fox News Poll: Voters want major change amid economic and political discontent

Several findings in the latest Fox News Poll show voters are unhappy and want major change, which bodes well for Democrats in November: President Donald Trump’s job approval remains near a record low, more Democrats are motivated to vote, Republicans join Democrats and independents in rating the economy negatively, and 4 in 10 voters want "dramatic" or "revolutionary" change. Plus, more view the GOP as tied to elites than the Democratic Party.

Voters say Democrats can better handle income inequality (+22 points), healthcare (+21), inflation (+10), the economy (+9), and foreign policy (+7).  Republicans hold the advantage on crime (+7 points), while government spending (Democrats +3) and national security (R +2) are more evenly divided. On immigration, the GOP had an 8-point edge in April. Now, Democrats are preferred by one point. 

FOX NEWS POLL: AN EARLY LOOK AT THE GEORGIA SENATE RACE

More Democrats (68%) say they are extremely motivated to vote in November than Republicans (57%) by an 11-point margin. By a 25-point spread, more MAGA Republicans (66%) are extremely motivated than non-MAGA Republicans (41%).

FOX NEWS POLL: A CLOSE SENATE CONTEST IS BREWING IN IOWA

If the election were today, 53% of voters would back the Democratic candidate in their House district and 46% the Republican. That 7-point edge is just outside the poll’s margin of error. Democrats were up by 5 points in April. Notably, 53% is the highest percentage either party has received on the generic House ballot in Fox News polling since 1996.

When looking only at counties where the 2024 presidential vote was close — Trump and former Vice President Kamala Harris within 10 points — the Democratic candidate leads by 59-41%.

"Although these data look promising for the Democrats, some of their support is in less-contested districts, padding their national totals without adding House seats," says Republican pollster Daron Shaw, who conducts Fox News polls with Democrat Chris Anderson. "The best estimates I’ve seen suggest the GOP could retain the House even if the Democrats win the national vote by 2-3 points, but if Democrats win by 6-7 points, they probably take the House."

The Democratic advantage comes amid weak ratings for Trump and continued economic pessimism. Trump’s job approval stands at 39%, unchanged for the third month in a row and one point above his low of 38% in October 2017. Approval of Trump is a touch lower than former President Barack Obama’s at the same point in his second term (42% in July 2014).

Trump received net-negative ratings for handling immigration (42% approve, 57% disapprove), Iran (34-66%), the economy (33-67%), and inflation (27-73%).

Three-quarters rate the economy negatively, about the same for the past six months.

Another three quarters say inflation has caused them financial hardship, including 34% who say "serious" hardship, up from 26% last year.

Fifty-four percent expect the economy to worsen in the coming year; only Republicans express optimism (71%), while Democrats (75%) and independents (64%) expect it to worsen.

Dissatisfaction extends beyond individual figures to both political parties and the broader economic system.

"Democrats and Republicans have a surprisingly broad array of shared beliefs about politics today," says Shaw. "Both think elected officials answer to the elites, both think the system is rigged, both want to see new blood in office, both feel betrayed by their party, both disapprove of their members in Congress, and both want a mandatory retirement age for Congress."

Some 70% say the Republican Party is closely tied to elite interests, while 55% say the same about the Democratic Party. The 15-point gap reflects more Democrats and independents saying the GOP is tied to elites, yet even Republicans are equally likely to describe both parties as close to elites.

There’s disillusionment in both parties. Many Democrats (48%) and Republicans (41%) say they feel betrayed by their party, and for both it is primarily for selling out to special interests.

Perceptions that the political system favors elites are reshaping views of the economy as well. The number who accept income inequality because "that’s how our economy works" has fallen 16 points compared to 2014 (from 62% to 46%), while the share who want government action has more than doubled (from 13% to 30%).

At the same time, an increasing number, 65%, think the country’s system is rigged in favor of the wealthy (up 9 points compared to 2019). 

By 2-to-1, voters say it is more important to elect new people than keep those with experience.

Overall, 19% say they want revolutionary change in the nation’s government, while many others want substantial (38%) or dramatic (23%) change.

Almost twice as many Democrats (52%) as Republicans (28%) want dramatic or revolutionary change. 

Nearly 7 in 10 voters disapprove of both Democrats and Republicans in Congress.

Some 32% of Republicans disapprove of their party’s lawmakers, while 39% of Democrats disapprove of theirs. More than 8 in 10 independents disapprove of both.

Fully 85% support a mandatory retirement age for members of Congress, up 20 points since 2002.

Of those in favor of setting a cap, 80% think it should be before age 75, with 61% selecting a cutoff between 65 and 74 — a boundary supported by more than half of every generation.

Just 50% of voters have a positive view of capitalism, down from a high of 57% in 2019. For socialism, it’s 30% favorable, up from 27% last year but below the 32% who said the same in 2021. The Democratic Socialists of America are viewed positively by 31%.

By an 11-point margin, more Democrats have a favorable opinion of socialism (52%) than capitalism (41%), while by a 50-point margin, more Republicans have a positive view of capitalism (61%) than socialism (11%).

Forty-five percent of voters have a favorable view of Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., That makes him more popular than Vice President JD Vance (41% favorable), Trump (38%), and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., (35%).  Each is viewed more unfavorably than favorably. Voters under 30 and those ages 65+ are equally likely to view Sanders positively (48% and 46% respectively). For AOC, more voters 65+ (41%) have a favorable view than young voters (33%), and three times as many of those under 30 say they’ve never heard of her (30% vs. 9%).

Overall, 44% have a favorable view of Israel, down from 58% a decade ago. Positive ratings are lower today among Democrats (by 14 points), Republicans (-12), and independents (-21). Voters ages 65 and over (56%) are twice as likely to view Israel favorably as those under 30 (27%).

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Conducted July 17–20, 2026, under the direction of Beacon Research (D) and Shaw & Company Research (R), this Fox News survey includes interviews with a sample of 1,003 registered voters randomly selected from a national voter file. Respondents spoke with live interviewers on landlines (70) and cellphones (681) or completed the survey online after receiving a text (252). Results based on the full sample have a margin of sampling error of ±3 percentage points. The survey includes an oversample of 200 voters aged 18–29, bringing the sample size for that subgroup to 350 (±5). Sampling error for results among subgroups is higher. In addition to sampling errors, 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.