Americans unhappy with the direction of the cost of living

Washington, DC, April 2, 2025 – The latest Reuters/Ipsos survey indicates President Donald Trump's approval rating remains steady, with just over two in five Americans approving of his job performance. Most Americans express dissatisfaction with the direction of the cost of living, inflation, and the national economy. Concerning "signalgate," a clear majority view the use of unsecured channels for discussing military actions as reckless, and believe President Trump should take responsibility; meanwhile, on tariffs and international trade, most anticipate higher costs due to tariffs and disapprove of the president’s handling of international trade policy.  

Detailed Findings:

Forty-three percent of Americans approve of the job Donald Trump is doing as president, while 53% disapprove. On specific policy areas, approval is varied. Forty-eight percent approve of Trump's handling of immigration, 37% approve of his management of the economy, and just 30% approve of how he is addressing the cost of living.

A majority of Americans believe key national issues are moving in the wrong direction. Sixty-one percent believe the cost of living is on the wrong track, closely followed by 59% who share similar concerns about inflation. Fifty-three percent indicate that both the national economy and national politics are on the wrong track, and 52% feel the same way about international trade. In contrast, immigration policy is viewed somewhat more positively, with 45% saying it is moving in the right direction.

In terms of favorability toward public figures, Donald Trump is viewed favorably by 45% of Americans, Pete Hegseth by 27%, and Mike Waltz by 25%. About one in three Americans say they have never heard of either Hegseth (31%) or Waltz (29%) to have a favorable or unfavorable opinion of either. Regarding the incident known as "signalgate," a majority of Americans (78%) express concern that U.S. military personnel could be endangered if leaders discuss military actions through unsecured channels. Additionally, 74% say that discussing attack plans on unsecured channels involving a journalist was reckless. Seventy percent believe that President Trump should accept responsibility for administration officials discussing sensitive plans via a messaging app, while only 32% agree that the media has exaggerated the seriousness of this incident.

On tariffs and international trade, public opinion is generally critical. Fifty-two percent disapprove of Trump's handling of international trade. Seventy percent agree that increased tariffs on imported goods will lead to higher prices for groceries and other regular purchases. Additionally, 53% of Americans disagree with the idea that the U.S. should impose higher tariffs on imported goods if it results in increased prices. Fifty-two percent believe that raising tariffs on vehicles and auto parts would negatively impact them or those close to them. Another 52% think that increasing tariffs overall would do more harm than good. Only 32% agree that when the U.S. charges tariffs on imported goods, American workers come out ahead.

Public opinions on executive orders and policy actions vary. A majority oppose certain actions, such as closing the Department of Education (60%) and firing tens of thousands of federal employees (57%). In contrast, majorities support other policies, including increasing deportations of illegal immigrants (59%), downsizing the federal government (56%), reducing U.S. foreign aid (52%) and continuing weapons and financial aid to Ukraine (52%).

To see the full list of questions and responses, please download the topline below. 

About the Study

This Ipsos poll was conducted March 31- April 2, 2025, on behalf of Reuters using the KnowledgePanel®. This poll is based on a representative sample of 1,486 U.S. residents, age 18 or older.

The study was conducted in English. The data were weighted to adjust for gender by age, race and ethnicity, census region, metropolitan status, education, household income, and political party identification. Political party identification benchmarks are from the 2024 NPORS annual survey. The demographic benchmarks came from the 2024 March supplement of the U.S. Census Bureau’s Current Population Survey (CPS).

•    Gender (Male, Female) by Age (18–29, 30–44, 45-59 and 60+)
•    Race/Hispanic Ethnicity (White Non-Hispanic, Black Non-Hispanic, Other, Non-Hispanic, Hispanic, 2+ Races, Non-Hispanic)
•    Education (Less than High School, High School, Some College, Bachelor’s degree, Master’s degree or above)
•    Census Region (Northeast, Midwest, South, West)
•    Metropolitan status (Metro, non-Metro)
•    Household Income (Under $25,000, $25,000-$49,999, $50,000-$74,999, $75,000-$99,999, $100,000-$149,999, $150,000+)
•    Party ID (Democrat, Republican, Independent/Something else)

The margin of sampling error is plus or minus 2.7 percentage points at the 95% confidence level, for results based on the entire sample of adults. The margin of error takes into account the design effect, which was 1.11 for all adults. In our reporting of the findings, percentage points are rounded off to the nearest whole number. As a result, percentages in a given table column may total slightly higher or lower than 100%. In questions that permit multiple responses, columns may total substantially more than 100%, depending on the number of different responses offered by each respondent.

For more information on this news release, please contact:

Chris Jackson 
Senior Vice President, U.S. 
Public Affairs 
[email protected]

Annaleise Azevedo Lohr 
Director, U.S. 
Public Affairs
[email protected]

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