2018 US Politics - Trump’s Approval Rating is Similar Among All Americans (August 15)

Two in five registered voters (44%) approve of how Donald Trump is handling his job as President. Trump’s approval rating is similar among all Americans (41%). Republicans (81%) continue to be the driver of positive perceptions of Trump’s job performance, while just 15% of Democrats report they feel the same way. President Trump’s approval rating has been consistent for the last several weeks, remaining between 39% and 43% among all Americans.

With less than three months until the midterm elections, registered voters continue to report they are less likely to vote for a Republican (36%) than a Democrat (45%), giving Democrats a 9-point advantage in the generic congressional ballot. Among all Americans, Democrats (40%) enjoy an 8-point advantage over Republicans (32%) if the election for Congress were held today. A quarter of all Americans (26%) and registered voters (27%) approve of Congress’ overall performance. However, all Americans (45%) and registered voters (49%) are much more likely to approve of their individual representative (45%).

Just one in three Americans (33%) believe that the country is headed in the right direction. Healthcare (16%), immigration (15%), and the economy (11%) continue to be perceived as the most important issues that the country faces. President Trump’s handling of immigration (42%) and healthcare (40%) mirror his overall approval rating (41%). However, he receives the highest marks when Americans are asked to consider how he is handling employment and jobs (51%) and the economy generally (49%). However, just 41% of Americans approve of his handling of international trade.

These are findings from an Ipsos poll conducted for Thomson Reuters between August 8-14, 2018. For the survey, a sample of 2,232 Americans, including 1,860 registered voters, 831 Democrats, 746 Republicans, and 190 Independents ages 18+ were interviewed online.