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Americans are ending 2025 in a sour mood about Congress, the economy and the direction of the country, according to a new national poll.
A new two-week poll released by Gallup on Dec. 22 shows that a majority of Americans are dissatisfied with Congressional leaders on both sides of the aisle, dissatisfied with the current situation at home and disapprove of the nation’s top leaders in the White House, Supreme Court and Federal Reserve Board.
President Donald Trump’s approval rating in the last month of the year was also low at 36%, but he is supported by a high approval rating of 89% among Republicans. Among independents, his approval rating is 25% in the latest Gallup poll. In the survey, Democratic opinion of the president dropped to 3%.
The poll surveyed 1,016 adults living in all 50 states and the District of Columbia from Dec. 1 to Dec. 15. The margin of error is ±4 percentage points.
The president’s approval rating in December was unchanged from last month’s Gallup poll, which dropped to the lowest point of his second term, and was barely above his January 2021 low of 34%. However, the poll shows a significant decline in support when compared to the latest daily polling average. The New York Times’ December 23 average, which includes Gallup statistics, gave President Trump an approval rating of 42% and a disapproval rating of 54%. RealClearPolitics’ daily averages are similar, with 43% approval and 53% disapproval.
Respondents’ opinions of Congress and leaders are poor.
In a December opinion poll, the overall approval rating for Congress was 17%. This reflects the president’s approval rating in that it shows deep partisan divides. According to Gallup, Americans’ approval rating for Congress is statistically about the same as it was in November, at 14%. However, this is several points higher than the pollster’s all-time low of 9% measured in November 2013.
On a partisan basis, Republicans give the current Republican-led Congress the highest ratings, with 37% approving of its performance. Only 12% of independents and 6% of Democrats approve.
Twelve other U.S. leaders in Congress, the Cabinet, the Supreme Court and the Federal Reserve also lack majority-level approval. Two Senate leaders, Republican John Thune and Democrat Chuck Schumer, ranked at the bottom of the list with approval ratings of 34% and 28%, respectively.
At the top, only Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell and Secretary of State Marco Rubio passed the 40% threshold with approval ratings of 44% and 41%, respectively.
Eight others, including Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, Attorney General Pam Bondi, House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., and Vice President J.D. Vance, had ratings ranging from 35% to 39%.
Mood regarding the economy continues to deteriorate
December’s Gallup poll is the latest in a series of national surveys over the past few months reflecting a deteriorating national mood on the economy, including declining ratings of President Trump’s performance on the issue.
Gallup’s Economic Confidence Index, which summarizes Americans’ evaluation of the current economic situation and their perceptions of the economy, recorded a minus 33 in a recent poll. It was down 10 points from October and 19 points from June’s figure. The theoretical range is -100 to +100.
Americans are also more likely to list economic issues as the most important issue facing the country, according to the pollster. 35% now say it’s their biggest concern, up from 24% in September and October.
The decline in views on the economy coincides with a decline in overall dissatisfaction with the country’s direction in recent months, according to Gallup.
The poll found that 74% of Americans are dissatisfied with the current state of affairs in the country, while 24% are satisfied. This number was unchanged from November, but was more negative than all other Gallup measurements since January. Satisfaction levels remained at a slightly higher level than at the end of the Biden administration.
Kathryn Palmer is USA TODAY’s political reporter. She can be reached at the following address: kapalmer@usatoday.com And to X@Kathryn Purml. Sign up for her daily politics newsletter here.
