September Harvard Caps / Harris Poll: Democrats Hold A 2-Point Lead Among Likely Voters in Midterms Horserace, With Trump Approval Hitting a Low Of 42%
57% OF VOTERS SAY TRUMP IS RESPONSIBLE FOR TODAY'S INFLATION, NOT BIDEN, POINTING TO TARIFFS AS PRIMARY CAUSE
57% OF VOTERS SAY THE ECONOMY IS ON THE WRONG TRACK
71% OF VOTERS HAVE HEARD ABOUT TRUMP'S $5,000 PROPOSAL AND 57% SAY THEY SUPPORT THE POLICY
74% OF VOTERS FAVOR THE CREATION OF A BIPARTISAN GOVERNMENT AGENCY TO REGULATE AI, WITH TWO-THIRDS PRIORITIZING SAFE USAGE OVER COMPETITION WITH CHINA
73% OF VOTERS VIEW U.S.-CHINA TRADE DEAL EXTENSION FAVORABLY WITH A MAJORITY SAYING PRESIDENT XI JINPING'S STATE VISIT WAS WORTH IT
TWO-THIRDS OF VOTERS SAY IRAN SHOULD NOT BE ALLOWED TO CONTROL THE STRAIT OF HORMUZ, WITH 69% IN SUPPORT OF RENEWED FORCE INCLUDING 82% OF REPUBLICANS
63% OF VOTERS SAY TRUMP SHOULD CONTINUE TO PROVIDE WEAPONS TO UKRAINE AND IMPOSE SANCTIONS ON RUSSIA
48% OF VOTERS SAY THEY WOULD BE LESS LIKELY TO VOTE FOR A POLITICIAN WHO HAS CALLED FOR THE COMPLETE DESTRUCTION OF ISRAEL, INCLUDING A PLURALITY ACROSS POLITICAL PARTIES, COMPARED TO 26% MORE LIKELY
NEW YORK, NY AND CAMBRDIGE, MA / ACCESS Newswire / September 30, 2026 / Stagwell (NASDAQ:STGW) today released the results of the September 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 42%. His job approval is highest on immigration (48%) and fighting crime in America's cities (47%), and lowest on handling inflation (34%), the economy (37%), and managing AI (37%). This month's poll also covered public opinion on the economy, midterm issues, voter ID requirements, artificial intelligence (AI), the GOP convention, White House press pool news, the United Nations, China, and conflicts in the Middle East and Ukraine. Download the key results here.
"Voters are still concerned with inflation and the economy, and that's number one on their minds going into this election," said Mark Penn, Co-Director of the Harvard CAPS / Harris poll and Stagwell Chairman and CEO. "While they are generally supportive of Trump's foreign policy, they want to see an end to tariffs."
OVERALL MOOD DAMPENS DUE TO CONCERNS ON THE ECONOMY
MOST TRUMP POLICIES CONTINUE TO SEE MAJORITY SUPPORT
DEMOCRATS HOLD SLIGHT EDGE IN MIDTERMS HORSERACE WITH A STRONG MAJORITY OF VOTERS RECOGNIZING ITS IMPORTANCE
STRONG SUPPORT FOR VOTER ID REQUIREMENTS AS A MAJORITY BELIEVE THERE IS VOTER FRAUD IN THE COUNTRY
ROUGHLY HALF OF VOTERS BELIEVE THE DEMOCRATIC AND REPUBLICAN PARTIES ARE BEING TAKEN OVER BY EXTREMISTS
VOTERS SEE TARIFFS AS MAIN CAUSE OF INFLATION
MOST VOTERS HAVE HEARD OF TRUMP'S $5,000 PROPOSAL BUT SAY IT MAKES NO DIFFERENCE IN THEIR MIDTERMS VOTE
VOTERS ARE AGAINST THE WHITE HOUSE PRESS POOL BAN, WITH A MAJORITY CALLING FOR COURTS TO OVERTURN IT
A STRONG MAJORITY OF VOTERS WANT A BIPARTISAN GOVERNMENT AGENCY TO REGULATE AI
XI'S STATE VISIT VIEWED AS THE RIGHT DECISION, WITH A MAJORITY SUPPORTING THE EXTENSION OF THE U.S.-CHINA TRADE AGREEMENT AND COOPERATION ON AI
VOTERS BELIEVE U.S. OBJECTIVES IN IRAN HAVE NOT BEEN ACHIEVED YET AND SUPPORT RENEWED FORCE IF IRAN CONTINUES TO REFUSE COOPERATION
VOTERS WANT UN REFORMS AS HALF BELIEVE IT IS NO LONGER USEFUL
MAJORITY SUPPORT FOR ISRAEL OVER HAMAS CONTINUES
VOTERS PRIORITIZE SECURING DURABLE PEACE IN UKRAINE NO MATTER HOW LONG IT TAKES AND CONTINUE TO SUPPORT U.S. INVOLVEMENT
The September Harvard CAPS / Harris poll survey was conducted online within the United States on September 26-28, 2026, among 2,200 registered voters by The Harris Poll and HarrisX.
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
[email protected]
SOURCE: Stagwell