Three-quarters of voters rate the economy negatively, a consistent sentiment for the past six months, according to a Fox News poll released Wednesday. The survey found that 75% of voters reported financial hardship due to inflation, with 34% describing this hardship as "serious," an increase from 26% last year. This widespread economic strain underpins a broader dissatisfaction with the existing political and economic order.
Fifty-four percent of those polled expect the economy to worsen in the coming year. Only Republicans expressed optimism, with 71% anticipating improvement, while 75% of Democrats and 64% of independents expected a decline. President Donald Trump's job approval stood at 39%, unchanged for the third consecutive month. This approval rating is one point above his low of 38% recorded in October 2017, in its ninth year. Trump received net-negative ratings for his handling of the economy, with 33% approving and 67% disapproving, and for inflation, at 27% approval against 73% disapproval.
Political Managers of Capital
The poll also documented broad dissatisfaction with both major parties and the existing political system. A significant 70% of voters stated the Republican Party is closely tied to elite interests. The Democratic Party fared only slightly better, with 55% of respondents saying it also serves elite interests. Many within both parties expressed a sense of betrayal; 48% of Democrats and 41% of Republicans felt their party had sold out to special interests. Voters favored electing new people over retaining experienced incumbents by a 2-to-1 margin.
Despite widespread discontent, the survey indicated 53% of voters would back the Democratic candidate in their House district, giving them a 7-point lead over Republicans, who garnered 46%. This lead was just outside the poll’s margin of error. Democrats showed a 5-point advantage in April, and their current 53% represents the highest percentage either party has achieved on the generic House ballot in Fox News polling since 1996. However, nearly 7 in 10 voters disapproved of both Democrats and Republicans in Congress. An overwhelming 85% supported a mandatory retirement age for members of Congress.
Seeds of Discontent
Amid this disillusionment, a notable segment of the electorate expressed a desire for fundamental change. Overall, 19% of voters said they want revolutionary change in the nation’s government. Another 38% sought substantial change, and 23% desired dramatic change. The poll also revealed shifts in ideological preferences. Fifty percent of voters held a positive view of capitalism, a decline from 57% in 2019, its seventh year. Conversely, 30% viewed socialism favorably, an increase from 27% last year. The Democratic Socialists of America were viewed positively by 31% of respondents. Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., held a 45% favorable view, surpassing Vice President JD Vance at 41%, Donald Trump at 38%, and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., at 35%. Overall, 44% had a favorable view of Israel, down from 58% a tenth year ago.
Beacon Research and Shaw & Company Research directed the poll, which was conducted from July 17-20, 2026. Live interviewers on landlines and cellphones, along with online surveys, collected responses from 1,003 registered voters randomly selected from a national voter file. The margin of sampling error for the full sample was plus or minus 3 percentage points.