Harvard Harris Poll: Deep Dive Into How Americans View Current Policy

Thanks for posting, OP.

This country is doomed, BTW.

The most disturbing thing in this poll to me is that RFK Jr is the most popular politician in the country, outweighing Trump. People really like him and his policies, which is just insane to me. I really really loathe the anti science stance this country takes in general. Antivaxers are dangerous nuts that need to be tossed into a loony bin. I cannot stand that RFK creep.

The other thing, NO ONE is talking about trans in this poll. Not an issue big enough to poll about. Good.

It just shows how ignorant peopel are. My gas and food haven't been cut off entirely? THen Trump must not be as bad as everyone says! This is not an opinion poll, it's a poll of people who put a madman in charge of nuclear weapons and trying to pretend they did nothing wrong, like a dog who chewed up the couch cushions.

Or like the Nazis who pretended they didn't know people were being murdered.

"Trump's approval rating is steady at 47%".

Jesus Fucking Christ.

Yeah, but it wouldn't matter if he polled at 0%. He's not going anywhere until he's carried out. Until then, Republicans will do every bit of his bidding. After that, they'll still be in charge, and they know how to get away with stealing elections. So yeah. We are doomed. Polls are utterly irrelevant now.

Weirdly, a lot of people haven’t heard about Trump’s use of National Guard in DC (only 7 in 20 know about it,) but those that do know about it say it’s appropriate given that America’s major cities are lawless hellholes (not my opinion, I live in the center of one.)

- quelle surprise

and yet all this stuff is being covered, albeit with a slant, on Fox News. So they are no longer following Fox which means they are not having their biases daily reinforced with lies. That ctually has to be a good sign.

One thing that is good to see is that Putin and Russia are widely hated as they should be, Ukraine is viewed far more favourably. Only Hamas as an institution is hated more than Russia

A whole 9% view Hamas very favourably or favourably - that is concerning

Its slide 14 on OP's link, not sure I can directly link it

Very interesting, thanks OP

This makes perfect sense. We are living in an age when the bad things that are happening all around us don't impact the majority until it happens to them [italic]personally.[/italic] Take for instance the "committed conservative" woman profiled in [italic]The Times[/italic] who birthed a blob of goo that has no chance of long-term survival, let alone becoming a functioning being, and who depends 100% on Medicaid including the fact that the stupid woman is being paid to take care of her own child under Medicaid's home-care provider provision. And now, thanks to her vote, and the fact that she lives in a red state that has not and will not take on any of the funding, is going to lose the coverage for her child. Now, don't feel bad; she and the husband make good money (so why Medicaid is paying for anything is beyond me) as she works part-time outside the home (in addition to getting paid by Medicaid to care for her own child, a fact so astounding I'll repeat it again and again). Only [italic]now[/italic] does she recognize the need for our social safety net... in other words, she was all for gutting Medicaid until they came for [italic]her[/italic] Medicaid, and then [italic]please Mr. President, something has to be done![/italic]

FAFO, indeed.

Harvard Harris is not the most highly respected polling organization out there (despite the name) and there's a reason it's always featured on the Wall Street Journal editorial page - it has a definite conservative lean.

Which are the best ones R12? Something with no bias (or as little as possible).

we have a mass population of ignorant superstitious pissed off rubes like a third world shithole - every other developed country has maintained a good standard of education, maybe besides the UK which seems to be getting dumb and trashy. removing the rethugs doesn't solve this problem and it would take 2 generations at least to significantly improve the thinking skills of the public. not a chance with social media brainrot turning the youth into retarded monsters. our values are too degenerate to have a long term future.

That’s how to lose again. Harris teaming up with Harvard!

Americans blame Palestinians for their own starvation because Americans hate brown people

This poll goes against almost every other reputable poll about how people feel about the economy and the deportations.

Something smells fishy

RFK is a blithering idiot

This poll makes little sense when compared to Trump’s 40% approval rating

So, 44% approval on the economy, 41% on inflation, 41% on tariffs and trade policy means everyone just luuurrrrvvveeesss massa Trump? Not sure about that. And that 53% who think the country's on the wrong track? Yeah, there might be just the tiniest chance that Democrats might have the occasional thing to "attack" Trump about and don't need to fall over and play dead.

Is Harvard Harris related to Kamala?

I don't know about where you guys live but gas here is jumping and dripping daily. One day it is 2.79 the next day it is 3.49. Egg prices have dropped slightly but no where near back to the .99 cent a dozen.Prices are still high everywhere on everything. We went to Cheesecake factory for dinner and the Filet Mignon on thier menu was 50 dollars!! At fucking Cheesecake Factory. These maga fucks are all just accepting the shit they all blamed on Biden. Higher gas, higher food, higher prices on goods, Low wages...but hey at least we can rally against Woke Cracker Barrell right?

Grocery prices are jumping like crazy, especially vegetables.

But Americans are going to pretend inflation is nonexistent because Biden isn’t president

well not all of them are entirely accepting things. A bunch of people in Iowa either switched parties or decided to sit this one out. They may not be 100% down with the new regime. Yes, it's a state election, but still, a hint that even some Republicans are wondering if they are entirely loving the new paradise.

Yeah, I was very happy with the outcome in that special in Iowa, but this is how it has gone in our politics for 20+ years: the 'thugs win big and are in control, and in the off-cycle/specials, the Dems do great... but then the next general comes around and the 'thugs lie, cheat and steal their way to victory; wash, rinse and repeat.

We really struggle with winning the big ones, but it certainly hasn't been hopeless, and of course 2026 is one of those midterms, where the out of power does well. It's certainly not in the bag, at all, but things really are looking good for the traditional midterm correction. On the other hand, there is a lot of shit happening and it really is a question if elections will be real. In the end, despite all the relentless bullshit, I do think we will take the House, and then we are going to have to be absolutely relentless.

Israel is widely supported by Republicans, not Dems and Independents.

other more reliable polls are showing Dump continuing to hemorrhage support on his key areas of the economy and immigration. Democrats need to get their shit together ASAP and find a counter narrative to Dumps faked up crisis around crime in cities. They need to stop listening to the fucking consultants and take the gloves off.

Trump is unpopular and growing more so, but if he succeeds in selling his crime message he has a way to hold onto power.

Fight the fuck back

r28 he doesn't have to sell it, he is just doing it. He has Congress, the Senate and the Supreme Court doing his bidding. We are fucked.

New Quinnipac poll. 37% job approval for Trump.

Polls are wrong about Trump constantly. His approval is more likely in the mid forties.

It's turning into Gilead.

[quote]Israel retains major support from Americans. Hamas is widely hated and blamed for everything happening in Gaza including famine, as they should be.

What planet are you posting from? Planet Hasbara?

OP's poll is bullshit. The Right generates these "polls" to confer legitimacy on their policies and their standard bearers. Voter behavior suggests that when people see this type of poll they will modify their own opinions to rationalize shit. But here's the thing. You might persuade them about some things, but do not think for a minute they will be persuaded that the economy is good for them. Two things Americans feel very insecure about: Economy, and Crime. Crime might be down 30% but you will never convince them it's safe. Any politician who runs on a tough on crime platform, and one that promises riches and a strong economy is a winner.

Crime is not a federal resopnsibiltiy. Alsoblue cities are much safer, but the public seems to think the opposite.

R35 yes, you're right, but Nixon got a lot of mileage out of his "law and order" campaign in 1968. Roger Stone is a passionate fan of Nixon's. And a lot of strategy moves and political posturing from Trump, is very Nixonian.. I can see the invisible hand of Stone. He is still around to whisper in trump's ear.

[quote]Crime is not a federal resopnsibiltiy. Alsoblue cities are much safer, but the public seems to think the opposite.

The public, as it is, rarely thinks AT ALL. Social media, lack of knowledge of how government works, how the economy works and who is responsible for controlling crime have cultured an electorate completely ignorant and are governed completely by feelings and make decisions based on those feelings free of facts.

Democrats need to understand AND DO what Fascists & Republicans who love them have known for decades: Weaponize a lazy ignorant electorate's feelings, cultivate grievance in them ( that Republican policies CAUSE) and turn that ire toward Democrats.

Bonus that the Democrats don't have to lie to do it.

Newsom gets it, Pritzger gets it: We all have to get it

Popular disapproval is the ONLY thing that will stop Trump. If even 10% of his base woke the fuck up and put their foot down, he would lose almost all of the power he has. But it will never haopen. We are fucking doomed.

[quote]Democrats need to understand AND DO what Fascists & Republicans who love them have known for decades: Weaponize a lazy ignorant electorate's feelings, cultivate grievance in them ( that Republican policies CAUSE) and turn that ire toward Democrats.

Democrats can't do that because the base won't let them.

The reason people cite crime as a top fear even though crime is dramatically down from a few years ago and has been trending downward for decades, is because the media disproportionately covers crime stories and engages in fear mongering over crime to drive up ratings, clicks and revenue. Politicians exploit that fear by distorting the effects of crime even further, and the populace responds by voting for the politicians with the most hysterical and fear-driven rhetoric about "crime."

It's like a feedback loop that keeps getting stronger. Paranoid conservatives driven by individual prejudices over emphasize crime, the media latches on to the fear for profits, politicians take notice and exploit the growing fear, and the public elects those fear-mongering politiicans.

There's also the obvious aspect where gun-loving voters elect politicians funded by the gun lobby, and all of them focus exclusively on "urban [🐕😙] crime" when discussing the issue, but when a mass shooting happens like we saw this week, it's all "thoughts and prayers" and no connection is made between "crime" and the excessive and insane amount of easily accessible guns available in the US. A week later "thoughts and prayers" will recede with the fleeting memory of the most recent massacre, and we'll be back to "the cities are warzones!" again.

Lather, rinse, repeat, and you get full-blown fascism. Thanks, Trumpers.

This is one poll.

Here’s another poll that puts Trump at 37% approval.

I had friends who worked at Harris a few years ago.

They are terrified of coming out with polls that shock, disturb the norm, or in any way deviate from their own ideas of what the polls should show.

Not that they cheat as much as they stack the way they manipulate the way they ask their questions, and the samples they approach.

Don't believe them.

Weak minded Democrats never consider the possibility of shaping opinion. They only chase it. That's why we lose. The right wing doesn't give a fuck what the American public thinks or says. They never turn off the propaganda firehose. They never stop trying to send a message. They fight and fight and fight no matter how unpopular what they're saying is. It works. Loser pussy dems just go "Oh, that'll be hard. Let's just never ever bring that topic up, and if it comes up, make a wishy washy statement and basically apologize for being a libtard and mention how you want to work with Republicans ok?" . No effort to shape or change public opnion. Way too fucking pussy to ever figure out how to do propaganda. I hope some fucking libtards who work for dem think tanks and in the DNC are reading this. Fuck you. Primary Hakeem Jeffries.

The MAGA cult members are not going to admit any doubts to a pollster. Sorry no link, but I ran across one recently showing that younger Republican voters are growing quite restless. His approval among Independents seems down below 30%. At some point, some of these Rs on the ballot next year are going to realize that being re-nominated by their MAGA primary voters leads them off a general election cliff.

The Clinton campaign made the DNC think of polls and focus groups as divine scripture and they're still not over it

[quote]Also blue cities are much safer

You're wrong about that.

No he’s not. Blue cities in blue states ARE safer, by and large.

Cities in red states are less safe by and large. It doesn’t matter whether the city is red or blue in a red state — guns are easy to get in red states.

It’s easy to get them in red states and bring them to blue states too, but it’s even easier to just have them at your fingertips.

Most dangerous cities in America:

Memphis, TN: Red state

St. Louis, MO: Red state

Detroit, MI: Purple state

Baltimore, MD: Blur state

New Orleans, LA: Red state

Cleveland, OH: Red state

Kansas City, MO: Red state

Red state means easy guns, poor economy and virtually no social services.

This poll was conducted by right-wing asshole Mark Penn (the same person who helped sink Hillary Clinton's 2008 campaign and also went on a media spree calling Barack Obama a crackhead).

I don't trust any fucking poll coming from that scumbag.

[quote]Also blue cities are much safer

Most dangerous cities in America:

Memphis, TN: Blue city

St. Louis, MO: Blue city

Detroit, MI: Blue city

Baltimore, MD: Blue city

New Orleans, LA: Blue city

Cleveland, OH: Blue city

Kansas City, MO: Blue city

Are you a moron r50? I just provided that list. They are almost all in red states.

Cities don’t determine gun ownership in cities — states do. While cities might have more restrictive laws than the state, all you have to do is go outside the city limits.

Bad economies in red states, poor social services, and easy gun access all make for higher urban crime in red states.

All of the factors that add up to high crime are state-level factors.

Note there’s only one blue city in a blue state on the list.

R51 The moron is you. Can you fucking read?

I responded to post R35, which reads:

"Also blue cities are much safer, but the public seems to think the opposite."

That is FALSE. The most violent cities in the USA are blue cities. That is a FACT.

Now, if you want to debate why they are more violent, do so. But the FACT remains: The most violent cities in the USA are blue cities.

Ok, Defacto, so you CANT read. I said:

[Quote] No he’s not. Blue cities in blue states ARE safer, by and large.

[quote]Cities in red states are less safe by and large. It doesn’t matter whether the city is red or blue in a red state — guns are easy to get in red states.

Which you just blithely ignored. Most large cities in America are blue. So saying blue cities are the most dangeroud is like saying that most crimes are committed by people — true but meaningless.

The factors that contribute to crime all arise at the state level, not the city level.

[quote] If even 10% of his base woke the fuck up and put their foot down, he would lose almost all of the power he has.

Oh, pul-eeeze! His power no longer depends on voters [italic]at all.[/italic] That's why he can ignore public opinion, laws, court decisions, the Constitution, etc.

The fix is in. Muskrat showed him how to do it (and once that got locked in, Musk was toast), and now he's completely independent of the actions of voters, protesters, and other disagreeable people. The R-controlled Congress does whatever he wants, and the six evil justices let him get away with everything.

Don't you get it? He said it himself: he's the President, and he can do whatever he wants.

Polls, schmoles. Who gives a fuck? Public opinion means nothing anymore.

Trump rules the roost. And the chickens aren't ever coming home.

R53 Once again, 53 shows what an idiot he is.

I responded to post R35, which reads, in its ENTIRETY: "No he’s not. Blue cities in blue states ARE safer, by and large".

That statement is false. The most violent cities in the USA are blue cities.

Once again: if you want to debate "the why" of it, fine.

And BTW I don't know who this Defacto person is, but it's not me. Again, it just shows your stupidity.

Correction: I responded to the statement: "Crime is not a federal resopnsibiltiy. Also blue cities are much safer, but the public seems to think the opposite.", That is the quote in R35 in its entirety..

[quote]I do think we will take the House, and then we are going to have to be absolutely relentless.

That's not going to happen with Hakeem Jeffries in charge.

Let's hope Trump has a fatal heart attack and dies tomorrow.

I wish I could disagree with you, R54. But right now you have described our reality. He is shitting over his Red State MAGAts and the Blue State Resistors equally. We all buy groceries, and gasoline and we all need healthcare and vaccines etc. Our workers are feeling the effects of tariffs, small businesses and medium businesses, farmers, etc. all are impacted. And it hasn't even been a year. By 2027, we are going to be in very bad shape.

[Quote] I responded to post [R35], which reads, in its ENTIRETY: "No he’s not. Blue cities in blue states ARE safer, by and large".

[Quote] That statement is false. The most violent cities in the USA are blue cities.

Can your loneliness on the weekends be so bottomless that you resort to blatant nonsense like this, Defacto? Blue cities in blue states ARE safer, for fuck’s sake. Eight out of nine cities YOU listed ARE IN RED STATES.

New York City, a blue city in a blue state, is the safest large city in America. Even LA and Chicago, often criticized by rightwingers as unsafe, are not on the top ten list.

Only Baltimore is a blue/blue city. All of the other cities on your list are blue/red.

Getting it yet?

Conservatives also twist and cherry pick cherry pick what is "safer" since cities in red states usually have VERY HIGH property crime rates.

Our Defacto obsessed troll, refuses to see that the 10 most violent cities in the US are all blue. They ALL have Dem mayors. Every one of them.

[quote] Americans blame Palestinians for their own starvation because Americans hate brown people

Fuck off

[quote] Only Baltimore is a blue/blue city

And even Baltimore was in the news recently for crime dropping. I wish the media would focus more on cities like Memphis, Nashville, New Orleans, etc with crazy high homicide rates.

[quote]And even Baltimore was in the news recently for crime dropping.

The crime in Baltimore is atrocious. "Crime dropping" means little when crime is out of control to begin with.

Top 10 US Cities by Homicide Rate (per 100,000 Population) in 2025

"Based on the most recent data available for 2025, the following are the top 10 US cities with the highest homicide rates per 100,000 residents, primarily drawn from sources like the Council on Criminal Justice, Freedom for All Americans, and other crime statistics reports":

1 - St. Louis, MO: 87.2 (131 homicides, population ~301,578)

2 - Baltimore, MD: 58.1 (170 homicides, population ~585,708)

3 - New Orleans, LA: 52.3 (100 homicides, population ~383,997)

4 - Detroit, MI: 49.7 (159 homicides, population ~639,111)

5 - Cleveland, OH: 33.8 (65 homicides, population ~383,793)

6 - Memphis, TN: 31.2 (99 homicides, population ~633,104)

7 - Chicago, IL: 28.7 (394 homicides, population ~2,746,388)

8 - Philadelphia, PA: 26.4 (212 homicides, population ~1,603,797)

9 - Atlanta, GA: 24.9 (62 homicides, population ~498,715)

10 - Milwaukee, WI: 23.6 (68 homicides, population ~577,222)

As an aside, can I say t hat with polling everything depends on the polling instrument. That means the questionaire and the language used to develop it. Every single word. And pollsters have to be meticulous in determining who they poll. and too often the polling instruments are flawed and the language is deliberately biased and t he entire thing proceeds towards a desired outcome which means it is not balanced or accurate. I know because I used to work on polls.

Interesting comparing those homicide rates with Central and South America. St. Louis beats most of them.

R66, that list is not accurate. Baltimore is right now below 30 murders per capita, the first time that's happened since 1986. Yes, that's still horrible but that's a huge decrease.

R69 That "30 murders per capita" is a projection for the year 2025 only if current trends hold.

Once again conservatives are trying to lie their way out of the facts that red states are more violent and criminal, have worse education, worse infrastructure, less business investment, more disparity between the poor and rich, more preventable disease, lower life expectancies, more corruption, more property crime, and less hope for the future. Republicanism is Evil with a capital "E" and no amount of data mining can show otherwise because it is simply not true. EVERY SINGLE PERSON WHO VOTED FOR TRUMP knew that he was psychologicall y disturbed (for not accepting the results of the 2020 election), morall depraved (rapist, pedophile, Russian agent, business fraud, tax cheat, compulsive liar) and cognitively deficient. EVERY SINGLE ONE. Not one batted an eye about putting a madman in charge of nuclear weapons. Every single one of these people is guilty of treason and does not deserve a single one of the freedoms they inherited. Their religion is a fake and hateful pretend mutual aid society, their morals are 100% corrupt, lazy, dishonest, and evil; and to the extent they have a political agenda at all, it is genocide of the poor and minorities. These are the people who make up just under half our nation, and we must never forget it. Fixing this will take more than a change in administration.

What it will take is the complete ERADICATION of the ability of the rich to promote these values. All their assets over a billion dollars should be seized, all their trusts (including charitable trusts) seized, their ability to claim "free speech" more than other people will be eliminated by impeaching and removing six Supreme Court justices and replacing them. And the entire fucking republican party has to be made illegal and replaced with a consrevative ANTI-CORRUPTION party.

A lot to unpack here. Perhaps it would be of interest to note that Harris is run by Mark Penn who... checks notes... donated $100,000 to AIPAC in the past 1 1/2 years and who has deep ties to the Likud party. That plays out in many ways. One small example, he phrases questions that ask respondents if they support "Israel" or "Hamas". Not "Israel" or "the Palestinian people." I'm sure that type of phrasing didn't influence the responses AT ALL.

I couldn't find the demographic breakdown in the download. Where is it?

I do not believe that these surveys get a proper cross section of the voting public. They're very squirrelly when it comes to how and who is answering these surveys. I don't like opt-in respondents - too old and conservative.

Daily Mail recently said their poll shows Trump at 55% positive. They say it's the highest ever. Dems can't run on campaigning for continued violence in the major blue cities. Look at Washington DC? Dems have no policies that normal Americans support! Soft on crime, men in women's sports, calling Christians racist, supporting Hamas, funding big liberal schools and the list goes on. The only policy that they offer and have always offered is the provider of free stuff!!! I love it.

R73 Because Hamas is the official government of Gaza. The question also doesn't ask do you support the Israeli people. It's about which government you support in the war. The war was waged against Hamas, not the Palestinian people (at least not officially).

Nice try, R77. The civilian casualty rate is higher in Gaza than it was in World War II. That's just... it's in a whole other world of depravity. And this is where semantics DO matter.

Yes, Hamas has forbidden Palestinians from leaving Gaza city. That is a whole other world of depravity. Hamas wants a high civilian casualty rate in its own population in order to win the PR war.

You've lost the global communications war, R79. Iz is rightly a near total pariah in the international community. They'll probably kill tens of thousands of more Palestinians before this is over, but their image is ruined with generations of people who weren't born in the stone age.