Reuters/Ipsos Core Political Survey: Presidential Approval Tracker (08/21/2019)

Washington, D.C., August 21, 2019 – In the latest Reuters/Ipsos Core Political survey, just 1 in 3 Americans report that the country is headed in the right direction (30%), and 32 percent of registered voters report feeling the same way. Democratic registered voters are least likely to say the country is headed on the right path (10%). While Republican registered voters are significantly more optimistic about where the country is headed - 63 percent say things in the U.S. are headed in the right direction. 

President Donald Trump’s approval ratings remain largely unchanged from last week, with around 4 in 10 Americans (41%) reporting they somewhat or strongly approve of the job he is doing as president. Trump's approval rating soars to 87 percent among registered Republican voters - 50 percent of whom strongly approve of the Trump's job performance. On the other hand, Democratic registered voters are highly critical of the Trump's job performance, with just 9 percent approving. 

Looking at specific issues, Americans give Trump the highest marks on his handling of jobs and employment (51%) and the U.S. economy (48%).  When it comes to international trade (41%) and immigration (42%) - President Trump's signature issues - he receives moderate support from Americans. Americans are most critical of how the president handles the environment (35%), how he treats everyday people (35%), and his approach towards Russia (35%).

Americans continue to view immigration (18%), healthcare (16%) and the economy (12%) as the most important problems facing the country today. Registered voters share similar sentiments. Partisans continue to disagree on what which issues are most important for the country -  Republican registered voters say that immigration (33%), the economy (14%) and healthcare (12%) are the most important problems, while Democratic registered voters report that healthcare (21%) is the most important issue, followed by the economy (12%), and the environment (11%).

About this Study

These are findings from an Ipsos poll conducted for Thomson Reuters between August 19-20, 2019. For the survey, a sample of 1,117 Americans, including 985 registered voters, 462 Democrat registered voters, 399 Republican registered voters, and 94 Independent registered voters ages 18+ were interviewed online. The precision of the Reuters/Ipsos online polls is measured using a credibility interval. In this case, the poll has a credibility interval of plus or minus 3.3 percentage points for all adults, plus or minus 3.6 percentage points for registered voters, plus or minus 5.2 percentage points for Democratic registered voters, plus or minus 5.6 percentage points for Republican registered voters, and plus or minus 11.5 percentage points for Independent registered voters. For more information about credibility intervals, please see the appendix.

For more information on this news release please contact:
Clifford Young
President, U.S.
Ipsos Public Affairs
202.420.2016
[email protected]

Chris Jackson
Vice President, U.S.
Ipsos Public Affairs
202.420.2011
[email protected]

About Ipsos

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