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AUGUST HARVARD CAPS / HARRIS POLL: 54% OF VOTERS SAY TRUMP IS DOING A BETTER JOB THAN BIDEN, UP 3 PTS. FROM JULY, AS APPROVAL RATING STABILIZES AT 47%

48% OF VOTERS SAY INFLATION IS THE MOST IMPORTANT ISSUE TO THEM PERSONALLY

54% OF VOTERS SAY TRUMP'S ACTIONS IN WASHINGTON, D.C. ARE JUSTIFIED AND NECESSARY

66% OF VOTERS WANT LAWMAKERS TO PRESSURE THE ADMINISTRATION FOR MORE INFORMATION ON EPSTEIN

52% OF VOTERS SATISFIED WITH TRUMP'S NEGOTIATIONS ON THE WAR IN UKRAINE, A 5 PT. INCREASE FROM LAST MONTH

NEW YORK and CAMBRIDGE, Mass., Aug. 25, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Stagwell (NASDAQ: STGW) today released the results of the August Harvard CAPS / Harris poll, a monthly collaboration between the Center for American Political Studies at Harvard (CAPS) and the Harris Poll and HarrisX.

President Donald Trump's approval rating is at 47%, with highest approval among Republican, male, white, 25-44 y.o., and rural voters. Trump's job approval is highest on fighting crime in U.S. cities (51%), immigration (50%), and returning America to its values (50%), and lowest on handling inflation (41%) and tariffs and trade policy (41%). This month's poll also covered public opinion on the economy and jobs, crime, the Epstein case, conflicts in the Middle East, and the war in Ukraine. Download the key results here.

"Trump has really solidified his political base and is maintaining every point of it," said Mark Penn, Co-Director of the Harvard CAPS / Harris poll and Stagwell Chairman and CEO. "He is working on a lot of initiatives that will take time to pan out – but unless there is peace in one of these foreign conflicts or a clear consensus about the economy, the country will likely remain in a partisan rut."

INFLATION AND AFFORDABILITY REMAINS TOP ISSUE FOR VOTERS

  • 34% of voters continue to single out price increases, inflation, and affordability as the most important issue facing the country today (+3 pts., July 2025). 26% of voters say it is immigration (-3).
  • 38% of voters say the economy is on the right track, stable from last month.
  • 42% of voters say their personal financial situation is getting worse, particularly among Democrats, Independents, women, and Hispanic voters.
  • Among key political figures, Trump has the highest favorability at 46% (-2 net unfavorable), followed by Robert F. Kennedy Jr. (+7 net favorable). Voters have a more unfavorable view of Elon Musk (-15 net unfavorable) and President Joe Biden (-14 net unfavorable).

CONTINUED MAJORITY SUPPORT FOR TRUMP'S POLICIES BUT WEAKNESS AROUND INFLATION AND FOREIGN POLICY

  • 14 out of 15 of Trump's policies continue to receive majority support, with his most popular policies being lowering prescription drug prices for Medicare recipients and low-income patients (86%), deporting illegal immigrants who have committed crimes (75%), and eliminating fraud and waste in government expenditures (73%).
  • 54% of voters say Trump is doing a better job than Joe Biden did as president (+3 pts., July 2025).
  • 62% of voters say Democrats should take more of a wait-and-see attitude toward Trump's actions (Democrats: 35%; Republicans: 85%; Independents: 66%).
  • 55% of voters say Trump's policies will increase inflation (Democrats: 83%; Republicans: 33%; Independents: 51%), and 55% say his tariffs are harming the economy.
  • 59% of voters say Trump will not solve the Ukraine war, and 64% of voters say Trump will not solve the Israel-Hamas war (+5).

MIXED PERCEPTIONS ON JOBS AND JOB REPORT RELIABILITY

  • 51% of voters say Trump's policies are leading to more jobs in the country (+2). Voters are similarly split on whether his policies are strengthening the economy (51%) and leading to more investment in the country (52%).
  • Voters are split 50-50 on whether job numbers have been reliable. 59% of Democrats and Independents say they have not been reliable, while 65% of Republicans say they are reliable.
  • 53% of voters say the firing of the head of the Bureau of Labor Statistics was politically motivated.
  • 54% of voters say the U.S. is currently not in a recession (-2), though 58% of Democrats continue to believe the U.S. is in a recession.

VOTERS VIEW AMERICAN CITIES AS UNSAFE, APPROVE OF TRUMP'S ACTIONS IN WASHINGTON, D.C.

  • 54% of voters say Trump's actions in Washington, D.C. are justified and necessary (Democrats: 28%; Republicans: 85%; Independents: 47%).
  • 40% of voters, a plurality, say crime in the U.S. is increasing.
  • 56% of voters say typical large American cities are unsafe, especially New York City (63%) and Los Angeles (62%). A majority of voters (55%) say the current level of crime in D.C. is about the same as other parts of the country.
  • 54% of voters support the Trump administration declaring a crime emergency in D.C. and the deployment of the National Guard, but 53% of voters oppose Trump's use of his presidential authority to take over local police.
  • 54% of voters say Trump's actions in D.C. are a distraction from other unpopular policies and personal problems.
  • 73% of voters say Trump's deployment of the National Guard in D.C. is a signal he will perform similar actions in other cities in the future, including a majority across political parties.

MAJORITY OF VOTERS WANT TRANSPARENCY IN THE EPSTEIN CASE, SAYING IT WILL AFFECT THEIR OPINION OF TRUMP

  • 65% of voters say transparency in the Epstein case is important to their opinion of Trump (Democrats: 76%; Republicans: 60%; Independents: 59%).
  • 72% of voters say they are familiar with the Jeffrey Epstein case, and 63% have heard of the Department of Justice and FBI memo of findings released in July 2025.
  • 42% of voters say Trump has handled the Epstein case poorly, with a plurality of voters saying the same for FBI officials and Attorney General Pam Bondi.
  • 79% of voters say the Epstein case likely involves a cover-up by powerful elites, including a majority across political parties.
  • 66% of voters say lawmakers should pressure the Trump administration to release more information about the Epstein case (Democrats: 85%; Republicans: 47%; Independents: 67%).
  • Voters trust independent media (e.g. journalists or podcasts) the most when it comes to full transparency on the Epstein case (52%) over the FBI (47%), DOJ (45%), mainstream news outlets (44%), Trump (39%), and Congress (39%).

VOTERS BLAME HAMAS FOR FAMINE IN GAZA, CONTINUING TO SUPPORT ISRAEL IN CONFLICT

  • 74% of voters continue to support Israel over Hamas in the Israel-Hamas conflict (-3). 51% of voters disapprove of Israel's conduct during the conflict, while 77% disapprove of Hamas' conduct.
  • 53% of voters support Trump's handling of the Israel-Hamas conflict thus far.
  • 69% of voters say there is a famine in Gaza, including a majority across age groups and political parties. 61% believe Hamas is responsible for the famine (Democrats: 50%; Republicans: 74%; Independents: 60%).
  • Voters are split on whether they believe criticism of Israel is motivated more by concern for Palestinian human rights (51%) or antisemitism (49%), as well as whether they believe Israel is committing a genocide in Gaza (50-50).
  • 57% of voters support the U.S. providing offensive military aid to Israel (Democrats: 44%; Republicans: 74%; Independents: 51%).
  • 85% of voters say the U.S. should continue to take all actions necessary to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon (+5). 67% favor a negotiated deal that permanently blocks nuclear weapons development.

TRUMP GIVEN CREDIT FOR HIS EFFORTS TO END WAR IN UKRAINE

  • 66% of voters support Trump's efforts to end the war in Ukraine. 52% say they are satisfied with how Trump is managing negotiations to end the war between Ukraine and Russia (+5).
  • 57% of voters agree Trump deserves a lot of credit for pulling off these meetings regardless of whether he succeeds (Democrats: 31%; Republicans: 87%; Independents: 52%). 60% say Biden was not capable of pulling off such meetings with world leaders.
  • 60% of voters say the meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin was unsuccessful in advancing peace, while 51% of voters say the meeting with Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and European leaders was successful.
  • 67% of voters say Putin is playing games and stalling with the U.S. and the West (-6). 67% say Zelenskyy genuinely wants to end the war (+6).
  • 67% of voters say the Trump administration should continue to provide weaponry to Ukraine and impose further economic sanctions on Russia (+2), including a majority across political parties. 69% of voters say Ukraine should receive direct security guarantees from the U.S. if it makes concessions to end the war (+4).

The August Harvard CAPS / Harris poll survey was conducted online within the United States on August 20-21, 2025, among 2,025 registered voters by The Harris Poll and HarrisX. Follow the Harvard CAPS / Harris poll podcast at https://www.markpennpolls.com/ or on iHeart Radio, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and other podcast platforms. 

About The Harris Poll & HarrisX

The Harris Poll is a global consulting and market research firm that strives to reveal the authentic values of modern society to inspire leaders to create a better tomorrow. It works with clients in three primary areas: building twenty-first-century corporate reputation, crafting brand strategy and performance tracking, and earning organic media through public relations research. One of the longest-running surveys in the U.S., The Harris Poll has tracked public opinion, motivations, and social sentiment since 1963, and is now part of Stagwell, the challenger holding company built to transform marketing.

HarrisX is a technology-driven market research and data analytics company that conducts multi-method research in the U.S. and over 40 countries around the world on behalf of Fortune 100 companies, public policy institutions, global leaders, NGOs and philanthropic organizations. HarrisX was the most accurate pollster of the 2020 U.S. presidential election.

About the Harvard Center for American Political Studies
The Center for American Political Studies (CAPS) is committed to and fosters the interdisciplinary study of U.S. politics. Governed by a group of political scientists, sociologists, historians, and economists within the Faculty of Arts and Sciences at Harvard University, CAPS drives discussion, research, public outreach, and pedagogy about all aspects of U.S. politics. CAPS encourages cutting-edge research using a variety of methodologies, including historical analysis, social surveys, and formal mathematical modeling, and it often cooperates with other Harvard centers to support research training and encourage cross-national research about the United States in comparative and global contexts. More information at https://caps.gov.harvard.edu/.

Contact:
Carrie Hsu
pr@stagwellglobal.com

 

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