Marquette University
10/01/2025 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 10/01/2025 07:00
New Marquette Law School national survey finds large majority think political violence is a big problem, but with sharp partisan differences on who is to blame
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New Marquette Law School national survey finds large majority think political violence is a big problem, but with sharp partisan differences on who is to blame
Americans are overall pessimistic on reducing intense political conflict; half of those polled say heated language by leaders makes violence more likely
Oct. 1, 2025
Also:
- 58% say it is always unacceptable to be happy about the death of someone they oppose; 89% say political violence is always unjustified
- Majorities of all partisan groups view tariffs as a bargaining chip for Trump, not policies he intends to enforce
- Approval of Trump's job performance continues to slowly decline, with 43% approval now
- Majorities think that Trump policies increase inflation and that inflation will increase in the next year
Please note: Complete Poll results and methodology information can be found online at law.marquette.edu/poll
MILWAUKEE - A new Marquette Law School Poll national survey conducted following the shooting death of conservative activist Charlie Kirk on Sept. 10, 2025, finds that 38% of Americans think the threat of violence against political leaders is a very big problem, with an additional 38% who say it is a moderately big problem. It is seen as a small problem by 19% and not a problem at all by just 4%.
Half of Republicans say the threat of violence is a very big problem, while 27% of independents and 30% of Democrats see it as a very big problem.
Asked which is a bigger problem, 27% of respondents say left-wing violence while 22% say right-wing violence. Just over half, 51%, say both are equally a problem. Perception of this is dramatically different for each party. Among Republicans, 57% say left-wing violence is the bigger problem and just 3% say right-wing violence is more of a problem. Democrats see a near mirror image, with 50% who see right-wing violence as the bigger problem and only 4% who say left-wing violence is the greater problem. Independents see equal blame for both sides, with 87% saying left and right are equally a problem, 4% saying the left is more of the problem, and 9% saying the right is the bigger problem.
The survey was conducted Sept. 15-24, 2025, interviewing 1,043 adults nationwide, with a margin of error of +/-3.3 percentage points.
Just under half, 49%, say elected officials using heated or aggressive language to talk about political opponents makes political violence much more likely. Thirty-seven percent say this makes violence somewhat more likely, and 14% say such rhetoric does not make political violence at all more likely. While Republicans view the threat of political violence as a bigger problem than do Democrats, perceptions between the parties are reversed on the question of aggressive political language and violence. Among Republicans, 39% say aggressive political speech makes violence much more likely, while 63% of Democrats say such speech makes political violence much more likely. Among independents, 40% say aggressive language makes violence much more likely.
Americans are pessimistic about finding a way to reduce intense political conflict and violence, with 31% saying a path to reduction can be found and 69% saying the country is so divided that intense political conflict and violence are going to escalate. A majority of each party and of independents see escalating conflict as likely, with 63% of Republicans, 72% of independents, and 73% of Democrats saying violence is going to escalate.
A majority of Americans, 58%, say it is always unacceptable for a person to be happy about the death of a public figure they oppose, with 29% saying this is usually unacceptable, 9% saying it is usually acceptable, and 4% saying it is always acceptable. Seventy-eight percent of Republicans say such happiness is always unacceptable, 49% of independents say it is always unacceptable, and 41% of Democrats say it is always unacceptable. The number of those likely to say pleasure over the death of a political opponent is always unacceptable rises with age, with people under 30 years old least likely to say pleasure over the death of a political opponent is always unacceptable, at 45%. The figure rises to 51% among those 30-44, 61% among those 45-59, and 69% for those 60 or older.
Political ideology shows a strong gradient in the acceptability of feeling happy over the death of a political opponent. Among those who describe themselves as very liberal, 26% say such happiness is always unacceptable, as do 40% who say they are somewhat liberal. Among self-described moderates, 56% say this is always unacceptable. Of those who say they are somewhat conservative, 71% say this is always unacceptable, as do 80% of those who are very conservative.
A very large majority, 89%, say violence is never justified in order to achieve political goals, and 11% say violence can sometimes be justified. A majority of each partisan group, age group, and ideological group also say violence is never justified. The minority view, that violence can sometimes be justified, is larger among Democrats (15%) than among Republicans (6%); among those under 30 years old (14%) than among those 60 or older (5%); and among those who describe themselves as very liberal (25%) than among those who say they are very conservative (10%).
Respondents were asked how much they knew about Charlie Kirk before his shooting death. Twenty-three percent say they knew a lot about him, while 44% report having known a little and 33% saying they knew nothing at all about him. Kirk was better known among Republicans, 33% of whom say they knew a lot, than among independents (11%) and Democrats (18%). Kirk's efforts to persuade and mobilize young voters are reflected in the finding that 30% of those 18-30 years old say they knew a lot about him, compared to 23% among those 30-44 and 20% for those 45-59. Among those 60 years old or older, 22% say they knew a lot about Kirk prior to his death. Kirk was especially well known among those who describe themselves as very conservative, 45% of whom said they knew a lot about him. He was also relatively well known among those self-described as very liberal, 32%, while only 12% of moderates said they knew a lot about him before his death.
A majority of respondents, 53%, approve of the way President Donald Trump has responded to the shooting death of Kirk, while 47% disapprove. Views of Trump's response differ sharply by party, with 89% of Republicans approving, compared to 39% of independents and 18% of Democrats.
Presidential approval
Approval of Trump's overall job performance in September stands at 43%, with disapproval at 57%. This continues a series of small declines since Trump took office in January, when 48% approved and 52% disapproved. The full trend is shown in Table 1. (All results in the tables are stated as percentages.)
Table 1: Trump approval
Among adults
|
Poll dates |
Approval |
||
|
Net |
Approve |
Disapprove |
|
|
9/15-24/25 |
-14 |
43 |
57 |
|
7/7-16/25 |
-10 |
45 |
55 |
|
5/5-15/25 |
-8 |
46 |
54 |
|
3/17-27/25 |
-8 |
46 |
54 |
|
1/27-2/6/25 |
-4 |
48 |
52 |
|
Marquette Law School Poll, national surveys, latest: Sept. 15-24, 2025 |
|||
|
Question: Overall, how much do you approve or disapprove of the way Donald Trump is handling his job as president? |
|||
Approval remains strong among Republicans at 81%, although this is a decline of 8 percentage points since January, and shows almost 1-in-5 Republicans now disapprove. Among independents, 27% approve, a decline of 10 percentage points since January. Democratic approval is 8%, 1 point lower than in January. The full trend by party is shown in Table 2.
Table 2: Trump approval, by party ID
Among adults
|
Poll dates |
Approval |
||
|
Net |
Approve |
Disapprove |
|
|
Republican |
|||
|
9/15-24/25 |
62 |
81 |
19 |
|
7/7-16/25 |
72 |
86 |
14 |
|
5/5-15/25 |
74 |
87 |
13 |
|
3/17-27/25 |
74 |
87 |
13 |
|
1/27-2/6/25 |
78 |
89 |
11 |
|
Independent |
|||
|
9/15-24/25 |
-46 |
27 |
73 |
|
7/7-16/25 |
-24 |
38 |
62 |
|
5/5-15/25 |
-38 |
31 |
69 |
|
3/17-27/25 |
-35 |
32 |
67 |
|
1/27-2/6/25 |
-26 |
37 |
63 |
|
Democrat |
|||
|
9/15-24/25 |
-84 |
8 |
92 |
|
7/7-16/25 |
-86 |
7 |
93 |
|
5/5-15/25 |
-84 |
8 |
92 |
|
3/17-27/25 |
-80 |
10 |
90 |
|
1/27-2/6/25 |
-82 |
9 |
91 |
|
Marquette Law School Poll, national survey, Sept. 15-24, 2025 |
|||
|
Question: Overall, how much do you approve or disapprove of the way Donald Trump is handling his job as president? |
|||
Approval of Trump varies substantially across individual issues, with his highest approval of 55% for handling border security, followed by his response to the Kirk shooting at 53%. And net approval is negative on all other issues, with Trump's lowest approval rating being 28% for handling information about Jeffrey Epstein, one percentage point below the 29% approval for dealing with inflation and the cost of living. In between these extremes, net approval of Trump's job performance is negative on each issue, meaning that more disapprove than approve of his handling of immigration, sending National Guard troops to Washington, D.C., his job performance overall, the economy, tariffs, the Israel-Hamas war, and the Russia-Ukraine war (to maintain the order of his best-to-worst scores on those items surveyed). Across all issues, net approval ranges from +10 (border security) to -44 (Epstein) percentage points, as shown in Table 3.
Table 3: Trump job approval across issues
Among adults
|
Issue |
Net |
Approve |
Disapprove |
|
Border security |
10 |
55 |
45 |
|
Response to Kirk shooting |
6 |
53 |
47 |
|
Immigration |
-8 |
46 |
54 |
|
Sending National Guard to D.C. |
-10 |
45 |
55 |
|
Overall |
-14 |
43 |
57 |
|
The economy |
-20 |
40 |
60 |
|
Tariffs |
-24 |
38 |
62 |
|
Israel-Hamas war |
-32 |
34 |
66 |
|
Russia-Ukraine war |
-34 |
33 |
67 |
|
Inflation/cost of living |
-42 |
29 |
71 |
|
Information about Jeffrey Epstein |
-44 |
28 |
72 |
|
Marquette Law School Poll, national survey, Sept. 15-24, 2025 |
|||
|
Question: Overall, how much do you approve or disapprove of the way Donald Trump is handling his job as president? |
|||
|
Question: Overall, how much do you approve or disapprove of the way Donald Trump is handling each of the following issues? |
|||
The variation in approval across issues is substantially driven by variation in approval among Republicans and independents, with less variation from Democrats. Among all adults, approval ranges from 55% to 28%. Among Republicans the range is from 89% to 46%, a spread of 43 percentage points. Independents vary less, from 46% to 14%, a variation of 32 percentage points. For Democrats, the range is smaller still, from 23% to 5%, a difference of 18 percentage points. A majority of Republicans approve of Trump's handling of all issues except information about Jeffrey Epstein, while Trump fails to win majority approval on any issue among independents, and he holds less than 25% support on all issues among Democrats.
Table 4 shows approval on each issue by party identification, as well as approval by all adults for comparison. The table is presented in order of approval among all adults.
Table 4: Trump job approval across issues, by party identification
Among adults
|
Issue |
All adults approve |
Rep approve |
Ind approve |
Dem approve |
|
Border security |
55 |
88 |
46 |
23 |
|
Response to Kirk shooting |
53 |
89 |
39 |
18 |
|
Immigration |
46 |
82 |
31 |
12 |
|
Sending National Guard to D.C. |
45 |
80 |
34 |
12 |
|
Overall |
43 |
81 |
27 |
8 |
|
The economy |
40 |
73 |
24 |
10 |
|
Tariffs |
38 |
72 |
24 |
8 |
|
Israel-Hamas war |
34 |
65 |
14 |
9 |
|
Russia-Ukraine war |
33 |
61 |
20 |
8 |
|
Inflation/cost of living |
29 |
57 |
14 |
5 |
|
Information about Jeffrey Epstein |
28 |
46 |
26 |
9 |
|
Marquette Law School Poll, national survey, Sept. 15-24, 2025 |
||||
|
Question: Overall, how much do you approve or disapprove of the way Donald Trump is handling his job as president? |
||||
|
Question: Overall, how much do you approve or disapprove of the way Donald Trump is handling each of the following issues? |
||||
Opinion of past presidents
The Marquette Law School Poll asked favorability ratings for each president from Ronald Reagan to Trump. Reagan has the most positive net favorability at +28 points, followed by George H. W. Bush and Barack Obama, each with net favorability of +17 points. Bill Clinton and George W. Bush also have positive net favorability, each at +8 points. The current president, Trump, has a net negative favorability of -15 points, while Joe Biden has the lowest net rating, -24 points. The two earliest presidents, Reagan and George H. W. Bush, both have relatively high percentages saying they haven't heard enough about them to have an opinion, as do Clinton and George W. Bush to a lesser degree.
These ratings are shown in Table 5, arranged in order of net favorability.
Table 5: Favorability of past presidents
Among adults
|
President |
Net favorability |
Favorable |
Unfavorable |
Haven't heard enough |
|
Ronald Reagan |
28 |
58 |
30 |
12 |
|
George H. W. Bush |
17 |
53 |
36 |
10 |
|
Barack Obama |
17 |
57 |
40 |
2 |
|
Bill Clinton |
8 |
51 |
43 |
7 |
|
George W. Bush |
8 |
50 |
42 |
8 |
|
Donald Trump |
-15 |
42 |
57 |
1 |
|
Joe Biden |
-24 |
37 |
61 |
2 |
|
Marquette Law School Poll, national survey, Sept. 15-24, 2025 |
||||
|
Question: Do you have a favorable or an unfavorable opinion of the following former presidents or haven't you heard enough yet to have an opinion? |
||||
|
Question: [Donald Trump] Do you have a favorable or an unfavorable opinion of the following people or haven't you heard enough yet to have an opinion? |
||||
Table 6 shows favorability by party identification. Republicans are net favorable to only Republican presidents and unfavorable to all Democratic presidents. Likewise, Democrats have positive net favorability to only Democratic presidents and are net negative to all Republican presidents. In contrast, independents rate some presidents of both parties positively overall and rate one president of each party (Biden and Trump) negatively overall. Independents are much more likely than either partisan camp to say they don't have an opinion, especially of earlier presidents.
Table 6: Favorability of past presidents, by party identification
Among adults
|
President |
Net favorability |
Favorable |
Unfavorable |
Haven't heard enough |
|
Republican |
||||
|
Ronald Reagan |
75 |
84 |
9 |
7 |
|
Donald Trump |
58 |
79 |
21 |
0 |
|
George H. W. Bush |
44 |
68 |
24 |
7 |
|
George W. Bush |
33 |
64 |
31 |
5 |
|
Bill Clinton |
-24 |
36 |
60 |
3 |
|
Barack Obama |
-46 |
27 |
73 |
0 |
|
Joe Biden |
-86 |
7 |
93 |
0 |
|
Independent |
||||
|
Barack Obama |
33 |
62 |
29 |
9 |
|
Ronald Reagan |
14 |
45 |
31 |
25 |
|
Bill Clinton |
9 |
46 |
37 |
17 |
|
George H. W. Bush |
5 |
44 |
39 |
17 |
|
George W. Bush |
0 |
42 |
42 |
16 |
|
Joe Biden |
-32 |
29 |
61 |
9 |
|
Donald Trump |
-45 |
25 |
70 |
5 |
|
Democrat |
||||
|
Barack Obama |
79 |
89 |
10 |
1 |
|
Joe Biden |
47 |
73 |
26 |
1 |
|
Bill Clinton |
42 |
68 |
26 |
6 |
|
George H. W. Bush |
-7 |
41 |
48 |
10 |
|
George W. Bush |
-14 |
39 |
53 |
7 |
|
Ronald Reagan |
-17 |
36 |
53 |
11 |
|
Donald Trump |
-81 |
9 |
90 |
1 |
|
Marquette Law School Poll, national survey, Sept. 15-24, 2025 |
||||
|
Question: Do you have a favorable or an unfavorable opinion of the following former presidents or haven't you heard enough yet to have an opinion? |
||||
|
Question: [Donald Trump] Do you have a favorable or an unfavorable opinion of the following people or haven't you heard enough yet to have an opinion? |
||||
Among Republicans, Reagan has the highest net favorability rating, +75, followed by Trump at +58. Independents give Obama their highest net rating, +33, followed by Reagan at +14. Democrats also give top marks to Obama at +79, followed by Biden at +47.
Republicans give their lowest rating to Biden, -86, while independents and Democrats place Trump last, -45 and -81, respectively.
Most important issue
Inflation and the cost of living remain the most important concerns for the public, as they have been all year in Marquette polls. In September, 40% cite inflation as the issue that matters most to them, an increase from 34% in July. The economy is the second greatest concern, with 19% saying it is the most important issue to them, up from 16% in July. Immigration and border security is the third most cited problem at 10%, a slight decrease from July when it was 13%. The full set of top concerns is shown in Table 7.
Table 7: Most important issue
Among adults
|
Issue |
|
|
Percent most important |
|
|
Inflation and the cost of living |
40 |
|
The economy |
19 |
|
Immigration and border security |
10 |
|
Medicare & Social Security |
9 |
|
Health care |
7 |
|
Crime |
4 |
|
The size of the federal deficit |
3 |
|
Abortion policy |
2 |
|
The war between Russia and Ukraine |
2 |
|
Marquette Law School Poll, national survey, Sept. 15-24, 2025 |
|
|
Question: Which one of the following issues matters MOST to you right now? |
|
Tariffs, inflation and the economy
By a 58% to 29% margin, the public thinks tariffs hurt rather than help the economy, while 13% say tariffs make no difference. There has been little change in opinion of tariffs since March, as shown in Table 8.
Table 8: Impact of tariffs on economy
Among adults
|
Poll dates |
Impact of imposing tariffs |
||
|
Helps U.S. economy |
Hurts U.S. economy |
Doesn't make much difference |
|
|
9/15-24/25 |
29 |
58 |
13 |
|
7/7-16/25 |
28 |
59 |
12 |
|
5/5-15/25 |
32 |
58 |
10 |
|
3/17-27/25 |
28 |
58 |
14 |
|
Marquette Law School Poll, national surveys, latest: Sept. 15-24, 2025 |
|||
|
Question: In general, do you think imposing tariffs or fees on products imported from other countries helps the U.S. economy, hurts the economy, or doesn't make much of a difference either way? |
|||
While majorities think tariffs hurt the economy and disapprove of Trump's handling of tariffs, 63% think tariffs are bargaining chips Trump is looking to exchange for concessions from other countries, while 37% think they are policies he intends to enforce. Majorities of each partisan group think the tariffs are bargaining chips, a view held by 60% of Republicans, 63% of independents, and 66% of Democrats.
Sixty percent of Americans believe Trump's policies will increase inflation, while 25% think they will decrease inflation and 15% think they will have no effect. This view has shifted from near parity in December 2024, when 45% thought his policies would increase inflation and 41% thought the policies would decrease inflation. Opinion has shifted steadily to more pessimism about inflation since December, as shown in Table 9.
Table 9: Trump policy effect on inflation
Among adults
|
Poll dates |
Effect on inflation |
||
|
Decrease inflation |
Increase inflation |
Have no effect on inflation |
|
|
9/15-24/25 |
25 |
60 |
15 |
|
7/7-16/25 |
28 |
60 |
12 |
|
5/5-15/25 |
28 |
61 |
10 |
|
3/17-27/25 |
30 |
58 |
12 |
|
1/27-2/6/25 |
36 |
49 |
15 |
|
12/2-11/24 |
41 |
45 |
14 |
|
Marquette Law School Poll, national surveys, latest: Sept. 15-24, 2025 |
|||
|
Question: Do you think Trump's policy proposals will decrease inflation, increase inflation, or have no effect on inflation? |
|||
Adults nationwide see the prices of groceries rising over the last six months, with 42% saying they have gone up a lot and 32% saying they've gone up a little. Sixteen percent say grocery prices have stayed about the same, while 9% say they have gone down a little or a lot. While majorities of all partisan groups say that grocery prices have gone up, there is a partisan gap, with 18% of Republicans saying prices have gone down, a view shared by 8% of independents and by 1% of Democrats. Republicans are also more likely to say grocery prices have stayed about the same than are independents or Democrats. These views are shown by party identification in Table 10.
Table 10: Grocery prices, by party identification
Among adults
|
Party ID |
Grocery prices |
||
|
Gone down |
Stayed about the same |
Gone up |
|
|
Republican |
18 |
24 |
58 |
|
Independent |
8 |
12 |
81 |
|
Democrat |
1 |
10 |
89 |
|
Marquette Law School Poll, national survey, Sept. 15-24, 2025 |
|||
|
Question: How has the price you pay for groceries changed over the last six months? |
|||
Expectations of increasing inflation over the next year have inched up since May, with 67% now saying they expect increased inflation, up from 63% saying this in May. Twelve percent expect a decrease in inflation, down from 20% in May. The trend is shown in Table 11.
Table 11: Inflation expectation over next 12 months
Among adults
|
Inflation expectation |
|||
|
Poll dates |
Increase |
Decrease |
Stay about the same |
|
9/15-24/25 |
67 |
12 |
20 |
|
7/7-16/25 |
65 |
18 |
18 |
|
5/5-15/25 |
63 |
20 |
17 |
|
Marquette Law School Poll, national surveys, latest: Sept. 15-24, 2025 |
|||
|
Question: Over the next 12 months do you think inflation and the cost of living will increase, decrease or stay about the same? |
|||
In September, 20% say they are personally better off than a year ago, while 35% say they are worse off and 45% say they are about the same. In July, 24% said they were better off and 32% said worse off. The full trend since December is shown in Table 12.
Table 12: Better or worse off than a year before
Among adults
|
Poll dates |
Better or worse off |
||
|
Better |
About the same |
Worse |
|
|
9/15-24/25 |
20 |
45 |
35 |
|
7/7-16/25 |
24 |
44 |
32 |
|
5/5-15/25 |
23 |
43 |
34 |
|
3/17-27/25 |
24 |
44 |
32 |
|
1/27-2/6/25 |
19 |
56 |
25 |
|
12/2-11/24 |
18 |
49 |
33 |
|
Marquette Law School Poll, national surveys, latest: Sept. 15-24, 2025 |
|||
|
Question: Would you say you personally are better off, about the same, or worse off than you were a year ago? |
|||
Views of the state of the nation's economy have varied modestly since December, with a small decline from July. In September, 30% said the economy was excellent or good, 50% said it was not so good, and 20% said the economy was poor. In July, 35% said excellent or good, 44% said not so good, and 21% said poor. The full history since December is shown in Table 13.
Table 13: State of the national economy
Among adults
|
Poll dates |
National economy |
||
|
Excellent/Good |
Not so good |
Poor |
|
|
9/15-24/25 |
30 |
50 |
20 |
|
7/7-16/25 |
35 |
44 |
21 |
|
5/5-15/25 |
32 |
47 |
22 |
|
3/17-27/25 |
26 |
53 |
20 |
|
1/27-2/6/25 |
27 |
58 |
15 |
|
12/2-11/24 |
29 |
50 |
21 |
|
Marquette Law School Poll, national surveys, latest: Sept. 15-24, 2025 |
|||
|
Question: How would you describe the state of the nation's economy these days? |
|||
The Federal Reserve Board, Centers for Disease Control
The effort by Trump to remove a member of the Federal Reserve Board has received modest attention from the public, with 30% saying they have heard or read a lot about this, 38% saying they have heard a little, and 31% saying they have heard nothing at all.
A majority of the public, 79%, say the Federal Reserve Board should be independent of political control, while 21% say the president should have more influence over setting interest rates and monetary policy. A majority of each partisan group supports an independent Federal Reserve, with 65% of Republicans, 81% of independents, and 94% of Democrats favoring independence.
Confidence in the Federal Reserve is evenly divided between those with high confidence, 29%, and those with low confidence, 26%. A substantial percentage say they have some confidence, 45%. Those with greater confidence are more strongly in favor of independence for the Federal Reserve, though a majority of even those with the least confidence say the board should be independent of political control, as shown in Table 14.
Table 14: Independence of Federal Reserve, by confidence in it
Among adults
|
Confidence in Federal Reserve |
Independent or presidential influence |
|
|
Should be independent |
President should have more influence |
|
|
Great deal/quite a lot |
90 |
10 |
|
Some |
79 |
21 |
|
Very little/None at all |
68 |
32 |
|
Marquette Law School Poll, national survey, Sept. 15-24, 2025 |
||
|
Question: [Federal Reserve Board] Here is a list of institutions in American society. How much confidence do you have in each one? |
||
|
Question: Should the Federal Reserve Board, which sets interest rates and monetary policy, be independent of political control, or should the President have more influence over setting interest rates and monetary policy? |
||
The firing of the director of the Centers for Disease Control in late August received modest attention from the public. Twenty-nine percent say they heard or read a lot about this, 45% heard a little, and 26% heard nothing at all.
In terms of confidence in the CDC, 28% express high confidence, 37% have some confidence, and 35% say they have little or no confidence in the CDC. Confidence in the CDC is only slightly related to partisanship, with 27% of Republicans saying they have high confidence and 32% of Democrats saying the same. Table 15 shows the full relationship of confidence with party identification.
Table 15: Confidence in Centers for Disease Control, by party identification
Among adults
|
Party ID |
Confidence in CDC |
||
|
Great deal/quite a lot |
Some |
Very little/None at all |
|
|
Republican |
27 |
41 |
33 |
|
Independent |
21 |
42 |
37 |
|
Democrat |
32 |
31 |
37 |
|
Marquette Law School Poll, national survey, Sept. 15-24, 2025 |
|||
|
Question: [Centers for Disease Control (CDC)] Here is a list of institutions in American society. How much confidence do you have in each one? |
|||
Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., is viewed favorably by 39% and unfavorably by 52%, with 9% who say they haven't heard enough. Attention to news about the firing of the CDC director was more strongly associated with opinions of Kennedy, with only 18% of those favorable to Kennedy having heard a lot about the firing, while 42% of those unfavorable to Kennedy had heard a lot. Table 16 presents this full relationship.
Table 16: Heard about CDC firing, by favorability to Kennedy
Among adults
|
Kennedy favorability |
Heard about CDC firing |
||
|
A lot |
A little |
Nothing at all |
|
|
Favorable |
18 |
53 |
29 |
|
Unfavorable |
42 |
42 |
16 |
|
Haven't heard enough |
2 |
31 |
67 |
|
Marquette Law School Poll, national survey, Sept. 15-24, 2025 |
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|
Question: [The firing of the director of the Centers for Disease Control (CDC)] Here are some recent topics in the news. How much have you heard or read about each of these? |
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|
Question: [Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.] Do you have a favorable or an unfavorable opinion of the following people or haven't you heard enough yet to have an opinion? |
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The parties, a government shutdown, and redistricting
Approval of how Republicans in Congress are handling their job is at 42%, with disapproval at 58%, unchanged from July. Approval of Democrats in Congress is 31% with disapproval at 69%. In July, 34% approved of the Democrats and 66% disapproved.
Views of the "One Big Beautiful Bill Act" have hardly changed since July, with 42% who support the bill and 58% who oppose it. That represents a one-percentage-point increase in support and a one-point decline in opposition from July.
As of mid-September when this poll was taken, 13% thought a federal government shutdown on October 1 was very likely, 42% thought it somewhat likely, 37% said it was not too likely, and 8% said it was not at all likely. Democrats were somewhat more inclined than Republicans or independents to think a shutdown was likely, as shown in Table 17.
Table 17: Likelihood of government shutdown, by party identification
Among adults
|
Party ID |
Likelihood of shutdown |
|||
|
Very likely |
Somewhat likely |
Not too likely |
Not at all likely |
|
|
Republican |
8 |
36 |
46 |
9 |
|
Independent |
14 |
41 |
37 |
8 |
|
Democrat |
17 |
49 |
27 |
6 |
|
Marquette Law School Poll, national survey, Sept. 15-24, 2025 |
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|
Question: How likely is it that there will be a shutdown of the federal government on October 1 due to failure to pass a budget agreement? |
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A majority of the public, and a majority of each party, are opposed to the mid-decade redistricting that is taking place in several states. Redistricting is opposed by 70% and favored by 30%. Opinion of redistricting by party is shown in Table 18, with more support among Republicans but majority opposition even in Republican ranks.
Table 18: Redistricting, by party identification
Among adults
|
Party ID |
Opinion of redistricting |
|
|
Favor |
Oppose |
|
|
Republican |
38 |
62 |
|
Independent |
31 |
69 |
|
Democrat |
20 |
80 |
|
Marquette Law School Poll, national survey, Sept. 15-24, 2025 |
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|
Question: Texas has redrawn its congressional districts to create more seats Republicans are likely to win. California is considering doing the same to create more seats Democrats are likely to win. Several other states are also considering drawing new districts. Do you favor or oppose states, outside the normal ten-year census cycle, redrawing their congressional districts to make them as advantageous as possible for the party with the majority in the state? |
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Crime and deployment of federal forces
Just over half of Americans, 53%, say they are very or somewhat concerned about crime in their community, with 20% very concerned and 33% somewhat concerned. Thirty-seven percent are not too concerned, and 10% are not at all concerned.
As for their personal safety, 73% say they feel safe from crime when going about their daily activities, while 27% say they are worried about their safety.
Concern with gun violence in their community is slightly higher than with crime, with 28% very concerned, 28% somewhat concerned, 31% not too concerned, and 14% not at all concerned.
Fifty-one percent said they had heard a lot about the deployment of the National Guard and federal agents to Washington, D.C., while 40% had heard a little and 8% had heard nothing at all.
As for deploying the National Guard to the respondent's community, 25% said they would like such a federal presence, while 75% said their community would be better off without such federal involvement.
Opinion is mixed on the effect on crime in Washington, D.C., due to the presence of the National Guard and federal agents, with 44% who say this has reduced crime in Washington and 56% who say it hasn't made much difference.
Foreign affairs
Fifty-four percent say they have read or heard a lot about the war between Russia and Ukraine, with 39% who say they have heard a little and 8% who say they have heard nothing at all.
Support for aid to Ukraine in its war with Russia has increased since December, when 25% said the United States was not giving enough support and 42% said America was giving too much aid. In September these figures have reversed, with 38% now saying the United States should give more aid and 28% saying the country is giving too much aid. This is the first time in Marquette polling that more people say the United States should give more aid than say America is giving too much. The full trend in opinion about aid to Ukraine is shown in Table 19.
Table 19: Aid to Ukraine
Among adults
|
Poll dates |
Aid |
|||
|
Net not enough-too much |
Too much support |
Not enough support |
About the right amount of support |
|
|
9/15-24/25 |
10 |
28 |
38 |
34 |
|
3/17-27/25 |
-4 |
37 |
33 |
29 |
|
1/27-2/6/25 |
-19 |
41 |
22 |
37 |
|
12/2-11/24 |
-17 |
42 |
25 |
34 |
|
10/1-10/24 |
-16 |
38 |
22 |
40 |
|
5/6-15/24 |
-14 |
39 |
25 |
36 |
|
3/18-28/24 |
-5 |
36 |
31 |
33 |
|
2/5-15/24 |
-13 |
38 |
25 |
37 |
|
11/2-7/23 |
-17 |
38 |
21 |
40 |
|
9/18-25/23 |
-15 |
37 |
22 |
41 |
|
7/7-12/23 |
-12 |
34 |
22 |
44 |
|
5/8-18/23 |
-11 |
34 |
23 |
43 |
|
3/13-22/23 |
-10 |
34 |
24 |
41 |
|
1/9-20/23 |
-5 |
29 |
24 |
46 |
|
11/15-22/22 |
-9 |
32 |
23 |
45 |
|
Marquette Law School Poll, national surveys, latest: Sept. 15-24, 2025 |
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|
Question: When it comes to Russia's invasion of Ukraine, do you think the United States is providing too much support to Ukraine, not enough support to Ukraine, or about the right amount of support to Ukraine? |
||||
Americans view Ukraine more favorably, 60%, than unfavorably, 27%, a slight improvement since last asked in March, when 59% were favorable and 31% were unfavorable.
Views of Russia are much more negative, with 7% favorable and 82% unfavorable. In March, 9% were favorable and 83% were unfavorable.
Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is seen favorably by 43% and unfavorably by 36%, with 21% who say they haven't heard enough about him. In March, 45% were favorable, 39% were unfavorable, and 17% hadn't heard enough.
Russian President Vladimir Putin is viewed favorably by 6% and unfavorably by 87%, with 7% who haven't heard enough. In March, 7% saw him favorably, 85% unfavorably, and 8% hadn't heard enough.
The war between Israel and Hamas has received among respondents an amount of attention similar to the Russia-Ukraine war, with 52% who say they have heard a lot about it, 37% saying they have heard a little, and 11% saying they have heard nothing at all.
Increased aid to Israel is supported by 23%, while 42% say Israel is receiving too much aid and 34% say it is getting about the right amount of aid. Opinion about the level of aid to Israel has remained relatively stable since February 2024, as shown in Table 20.
Table 20: Aid to Israel
Among adults
|
Poll dates |
Aid |
|||
|
Net not enough-too much |
Too much support |
Not enough support |
About the right amount of support |
|
|
9/15-24/25 |
-19 |
42 |
23 |
34 |
|
12/2-11/24 |
-16 |
40 |
24 |
36 |
|
5/6-15/24 |
-17 |
41 |
24 |
35 |
|
3/18-28/24 |
-13 |
37 |
24 |
39 |
|
2/5-15/24 |
-21 |
42 |
21 |
38 |
|
Marquette Law School Poll, national surveys, latest: Sept. 15-24, 2025 |
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|
Question: When it comes to Israel's war with Hamas in Gaza, do you think the United States is providing too much support to Israel, not enough support to Israel, or about the right amount of support to Israel? |
||||
Israel is viewed favorably by 36% and unfavorably by 49%, with 15% saying they haven't heard enough. This is a decrease from March, when 43% were favorable, 43% unfavorable, and 14% lacked an opinion. Views of Israel vary with age: among those 18-29, 20% hold a favorable opinion and 59% an unfavorable opinion, while those 60 and older are 49% favorable and 41% unfavorable.
The Palestinians are seen favorably by 32% and unfavorably by 50%, with 18% who say they haven't heard enough. This question was not asked previously. The Palestinians are viewed more favorably by those 18-29, 44% favorable and 34% unfavorable, than they are by those 60 and older, who are 24% favorable and 62% unfavorable.
More than half, 56%, say it is better for the U.S. to take an active part in world affairs, while 44% say it is better to stay out of world affairs. The trend on this question since 2022 is shown in Table 21.
Table 21: U.S. role in world
Among adults
|
Poll dates |
U.S. role |
||
|
Net active role-stay out |
Take an active part in world affairs |
Stay out of world affairs |
|
|
9/15-24/25 |
12 |
56 |
44 |
|
3/17-27/25 |
28 |
64 |
36 |
|
1/27-2/6/25 |
22 |
61 |
39 |
|
12/2-11/24 |
20 |
60 |
40 |
|
10/1-10/24 |
8 |
54 |
46 |
|
5/6-15/24 |
8 |
54 |
46 |
|
3/18-28/24 |
12 |
56 |
44 |
|
2/5-15/24 |
8 |
54 |
46 |
|
11/2-7/23 |
4 |
52 |
48 |
|
9/18-25/23 |
16 |
58 |
42 |
|
7/7-12/23 |
6 |
53 |
47 |
|
5/8-18/23 |
10 |
55 |
45 |
|
3/13-22/23 |
10 |
55 |
45 |
|
1/9-20/23 |
18 |
59 |
41 |
|
11/15-22/22 |
20 |
60 |
40 |
|
Marquette Law School Poll, national surveys, latest: Sept. 15-24, 2025 |
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|
Question: Do you think it will be better for the future of the country if we take an active part in world affairs, or if we stay out of world affairs? |
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About the Marquette Law School Poll
The survey was conducted Sept. 15-24, 2025, interviewing 1,043 adults nationwide, with a margin of error of +/-3.3 percentage points.
Interviews were conducted using the SSRS Opinion Panel, a national probability sample with interviews conducted online. Certain other data from this survey (focusing on those about public views of the Supreme Court) are held for release on Oct. 2. The detailed methodology statement, survey instrument, topline results, and crosstabs for this release are available on the Marquette Law Poll website.
About Kevin Conway
Kevin is the associate director for university communication in the Office of Marketing and Communication. Contact Kevin at (414) 288-4745 or [email protected].
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