Survey Says is a weekly column rounding up three of an important polling tendencies or knowledge factors it’s essential to find out about. You’ll additionally discover data-based updates on previous Every day Kos reporting, plus a vibe test on a pattern that’s driving politics.
People don’t again Trump the Imperialist
President Donald Trump needs to purchase—or take by pressure—Greenland, Canada, the Gaza Strip, and the Panama Canal. “We will own it,” Trump stated of Gaza, together with all of the trademark coverage particulars he’s identified for (none).
However People aren’t right here for it.
A new ballot from Information for Progress finds that possible voters largely oppose the U.S. taking possession of every location. Voters are shut to separate on the Panama Canal (41% help, 46% oppose), which the U.S. turned over to the Panamanians on the finish of 1999. However with regards to the opposite places, it’s not even shut: Majorities oppose the U.S. taking Greenland, Canada, and most starkly, Gaza. Solely 23% need the U.S. to manage Gaza, whereas 62% oppose that concept.
And regardless of Trump’s flirtation with deploying U.S. troops to take Gaza, even a majority of Republican-likely voters (52%) oppose his concept.
In fact, Trump’s territorial expansionism doesn’t finish there. On the primary day of his new time period, he signed an govt order to rename the Gulf of Mexico because the “Gulf of America” (and one other order to make Feb. 9 “Gulf of America Day,” as a result of every little thing should be this silly).
A new ballot from Marquette College Regulation Faculty—the most effective within the polling recreation—finds that simply 29% help Trump’s “Gulf of America” rebrand, whereas a staggering 71% oppose it. Whereas 57% of Republicans help it (due to course they do), solely 16% of independents and 4% of Democrats do.
With numbers like that, Trump actually ought to’ve simply gone together with his first plan: to rename it the Gulf of Trump and dye the water gold.
Billionaires, billionaires, billionaires—you and me are by means of
Billionaire Elon Musk delivered his first Oval Workplace tackle this previous Tuesday, regardless of, you understand, not being president. And there’s a powerful probability that the Tesla man is delusional about his attraction to the American public—as a result of billionaires, effectively … People aren’t so scorching on them.
Seventy-three p.c of possible voters suppose billionaires have an excessive amount of affect over the federal authorities, in line with a new ballot from Information for Progress. That features majorities of Democrats (80%), independents or third-party voters (80%), and Republicans (63%).
In terms of Musk himself, not solely do sturdy majorities of Democrats (79%) and independents and third-party voters (65%) imagine he has an excessive amount of affect, even 1 in 3 Republicans thinks so.
And that tracks with public opinion about billionaires typically. New polling from YouGov finds that 55% of People suppose the federal government ought to attempt to shut the wealth hole between the richest and poorest People, whereas simply 22% suppose the federal government shouldn’t attempt to.
Even wilder, 49% of People suppose the federal government ought to “try to reduce the share of wealth” held by American billionaires. This phrasing is extra radically progressive because it focuses on taking cash away from the ultrarich and, in contrast to the earlier query, doesn’t point out poorer People in any respect. And but even 1 in 3 Republicans nonetheless helps one of these governmental motion. Solely 27% of People oppose it.
To be honest, numerous respondents certainly assume one of these wealth discount could be used to profit these with much less cash. (I.e., if the ultrarich’s share of wealth lowers, then the less-rich sees their share of it rise.)
But it surely’s additionally potential that People simply don’t like billionaires. Take heed, Musk.
5 years of COVID-19
COVID-19 has claimed greater than 1.2 million People’ lives since Jan. 1, 2020, in line with the Facilities for Illness Management and Prevention. And whereas the pandemic has largely light as a well being menace, its harm to American households continues to today, in line with a important new examine by the Pew Analysis Heart that displays on 5 years of COVID-19.
About 1 in 4 People say the pandemic took a serious toll on them, and almost 1 in 2 stated it took a minor toll. In contrast with the general public at giant, People beneath the age of fifty are considerably extra prone to say it took a serious toll on them, as are Hispanic People.
Whereas 44% of People say they’ve principally recovered from the toll the pandemic took on them, 1 in 4 have solely considerably recovered, and 6% haven’t recovered in any respect.
The pandemic indisputably furthered the partisan divide, from Republicans’ rage at fundamental well being precautions like masking and vaccination to Democrats’ fury at Trump’s refusal to take the pandemic significantly. And Pew’s knowledge displays that divide rising throughout 2020. As an illustration, in March 2020, comparable shares of Democrats (74%) and Republicans (84%) stated that the CDC was doing a wonderful or good job at managing the disaster. Nevertheless, by January 2022, simply 26% of Republicans had the identical opinion, whereas Democrats’ view largely hadn’t modified (69%).
So it is smart that 72% of People agree the pandemic drove the nation additional aside, in line with Pew’s newest knowledge.
Nevertheless, greater than 1 in 10 People suppose the pandemic principally introduced the nation collectively (sure, actually), and one other 16% say it didn’t have an effect on issues both means. But it surely’s potential that these of us—a mixed 27%—are lots of the similar ones who say the pandemic took no toll on them in anyway (25%).
Any updates?
-
Trump and co. are testing the waters of a constitutional disaster, suggesting they might disobey court docket orders of their pursuit of smothering the federal authorities—however they may face an enormous public backlash for it. Fifty-seven p.c of People suppose a choose’s order trumps a president’s, with solely 21% pondering the alternative, in line with a brand new YouGov ballot. (And sure, that 21% is basically made up of Republicans, who’d certainly have a distinct opinion if a Democrat have been scribbling out orders within the White Home.)
-
Eggs! You know ’em, you love ’em, you can’t afford ’em—and Trump doesn’t care, as Every day Kos has coated completely. And people skyrocketing costs aren’t escaping People, 61% of whom have observed egg costs rising “a lot,” in line with a brand new YouGov ballot. One other 20% have observed “a little” value enhance.
-
Since Democrat Kamala Harris misplaced final 12 months’s presidential election, many have questioned if she’ll run for workplace once more, probably in California’s 2026 governor’s race. A brand new Emerson Faculty ballot for The Hill and Inside California Politics has excellent news for her: 57% of California Democrats say they’d help her if she ran for governor. Her closest competitor? Former Rep. Katie Porter, a whiteboard aficionado who sits at 9%.
Vibe test
Although it’s been 5 years since COVID-19 hit the general public consciousness, it’s simply now been three years since People stopped worrying a lot about it. Jan. 17, 2022, was the final time extra registered voters have been involved a few native COVID-19 outbreak than weren’t, in line with knowledge from Civiqs.
Curiously, although, the online degree of concern has not too long ago ticked up from its nadir of -71 proportion factors in Could 2024. It’s now -55 factors. Maybe fears round chicken flu have gotten of us fearful about outbreaks extra typically. It may be a cyclical factor since concern additionally rose final winter.
