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’s according to a new Fox News national survey.
Affordability continues to dominate the political landscape.
Fifty-eight percent flag the cost of living as their top economic worry, up from 50% in February. This eclipses other issues, such as government spending (16%), jobs (8%) and tariffs (8%).
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More than three-quarters also say the economy is in bad shape (77%), worse than last month (73%) and a year ago (71%). Only 23% rate it positively, the lowest in more than a year.
The pessimism is personal too. A slim majority of voters (51%) say their family’s finances are worse now than two years ago. Before the 2022 midterm elections, 44% said the same.
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All that helps explain the deterioration in Trump’s ratings on the economy. A year ago, 56% of voters disapproved and last month it was 66%; now, it’s 71%. 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 (36%) is more in line with independents (18%) than with MAGA Republicans (74%). The president’s overall approval on handling the economy stands at just 29%, down from 34% in April.
Trump gets his lowest ratings on inflation, where only 24% approve — down from 35% in January. Inflation marks a rare issue where a slim majority of Republicans (51%) disapprove of Trump. It reaches 85% among independents and 96% among Democrats.
His job numbers are also net negative on foreign policy (38-62%). Until this month, border security was the one issue where Trump received a positive rating. Now voters are split (49-51%) on his border security performance, pushing his ratings underwater for the first time this term. That shift comes even as 45% of voters say border security is better today than two years ago, while 29% say it’s worse.
Approval of Trump’s overall job performance is 39%, 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% disapprove of the job he’s doing, including 48% who strongly disapprove.
Since April, approval has declined among some of his key constituencies, such as rural Whites (-6 points), White men without a degree (-5), and Republicans (-3).
Trump approval is at all-time lows among Republicans (80%), non-MAGA Republicans (54%), Whites (43%) and rural voters (43%).
“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 (57%) than help it (34%). The share saying “hurt” is up 6 points since last April. Fully 88% of MAGA Republicans say his policies will help, while only 43% of non-MAGA Republicans agree.
Meanwhile, gas prices are squeezing voter budgets: 86% call rising prices a problem, including 51% who label them a “major” problem. Concern is nearly universal for the broader economy, where 96% see gas prices as a problem and 75% 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% saying it is responsible.
Iran
Two-thirds think the U.S. is winning the war in Iran, yet opposition to U.S. military action increased to 60%, up from 55% last month.
Half think the war will last a year (18%) or more (33%), 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 (89%) and two-thirds of independents believe the U.S. is winning the war, while more than half of Democrats say Iran is winning (56%). Generationally, voters under age 30 are the most likely to believe the U.S. is winning (79%), yet they are also some of the most opposed to the war (67%).
Among voters who have served in the military, 55% support the U.S. action against Iran and 72% believe the U.S. is winning the war.
Last summer, voter concern about Iran getting a nuclear bomb was at a record high 78%. Today, it’s at a record low 56%, down from 66% in March. Concern since March is down among Democrats (-13 points), independents (-11), and Republicans (-6).
Poll-pourri
While 45% approve of Trump’s handling of the U.S.-China summit, a 54% majority disapproves.
That matches views of the negotiation’s outcome: 52% believe Chinese President Xi Jinping got more of what he wanted compared to 46% for Trump. More than a quarter of Republicans (27%) join majorities of Democrats (75%) and independents (56%) in thinking Xi won the summit, as do nearly a quarter of those who otherwise approve of Trump’s handling of the trip (24%).
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Conducted May 15-18, 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 (109) and cellphones (635) or completed the survey online after receiving a text (258). 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.
