NOVEMBER HARVARD CAPS / HARRIS POLL: 75% OF VOTERS OPPOSE GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN, UP 5 PTS. FROM SEPTEMBER, WHILE CONGRESSIONAL APPROVAL FALLS TO LOWEST IN MORE THAN ONE YEAR

RATINGS OF DEMOCRATS, REPUBLICANS, AND PRESIDENT ALL IN LOW FORTIES

TRUMP POLICIES LARGELY FAVORED WITH EXCEPTION OF TARIFFS BUT APPROVAL DECLINING TO 44% AMID ECONOMIC CONCERN AND SHUTDOWN

57% OF VOTERS CHARACTERIZE THE ECONOMY AS WEAK, A 6 PT. INCREASE FROM SEPTEMBER

OFF-CYCLE ELECTION MESSAGE: GOP NEEDS TO BROADEN ITS BASE; ZOHRAN MAMDANI'S POLICIES REJECTED BY A MAJORITY OF VOTERS ACROSS THE NATION

TWO-THIRDS OF VOTERS SEE MADURO'S REGIME AS A THREAT TO U.S. NATIONAL SECURITY AND 81% SUPPORT REMOVING HIM FROM OFFICE

NEW YORK and CAMBRIDGE, Mass., Nov. 10, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Stagwell (NASDAQ:STGW) today released the results of the November 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 dropped to a new low of 44%, 2 points down from September. Trump's job approval is highest on fighting crime in U.S. cities (49%) and immigration (47%), and lowest on handling inflation (39%) and tariffs and trade policy (40%). This month's poll also covered public opinion on the off-cycle elections around the country, economy, government shutdown, Israel-Hamas conflict, war in Ukraine, and Venezuela. Download the key results here.

"Keeping the government shutdown has put people in an increasingly negative mood," said Mark Penn, Co-Director of the Harvard CAPS / Harris poll and Stagwell Chairman and CEO. "Voters support the Republican policy position, but with the shutdown, a worsening perception of the economy, discontent with tariffs, health care a key concern, and people not getting their paychecks – this is a deteriorating situation the White House has to fix."

GOP AND CONGRESSIONAL APPROVAL DROP AS CONCERNS ON THE ECONOMY GROW

• 57% of voters say the U.S. economy is weak (+6 pts., September 2025).
• 35% of voters say the country is on the right track (-5).
• The Congressional approval rating dropped again to 27%, its lowest point since June 2024 (-5).
• The Republican Party approval rating is at 44% (-3), while the Democratic Party approval is at 43% (+1).
• Inflation and affordability (+3), and the economy and jobs (+4) remain the top two most important issues facing the country today according to voters.
• 48% of voters say inflation is the top issue for them personally (+5).

MOST TRUMP POLICIES CONTINUE TO SEE MAJORITY SUPPORT THOUGH SOME CONCERN OVER DETERIORATING INDEPENDENCE IN GOVERNMENT

• Trump's policies remain popular, with 16 of 18 policies receiving majority support. Lowering drug prices (85%), deporting illegal immigrants who have committed crimes (79%), and cutting government waste (75%) are the most popular; while Medicaid requirements (44%), tariffs (50%), and deploying National Guard in cities (51%) are the least popular.
• 56% of voters believe that Trump has exceeded his authority as president. 51% say Trump is operating like a fascist dictator (+3).
• 59% of voters say Trump is not abiding by all court rulings, and 43% think that the administration works with Congress less than previous administrations.
• 56% of voters oppose President Trump's construction of a new ballroom at the White House.

VOTERS FEEL EFFECTS OF GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN

• 75% of voters oppose the government shutdown (+5), with 53% placing the blame on Republicans more than Democrats.
• 56% of voters think the Republicans will win the government shutdown (-6).
• 48% say the government shutdown has affected them personally, and 55% say the government shutdown is hurting the economy a lot.
• 74% of voters believe extending the Obamacare subsidies should be debated as part of a separate appropriations bills process. 67% say Democrats should end the shutdown without Obamacare funds.
• 44% of voters support the Senate's filibuster rule. 37% oppose Republican leaders who want to scrap the filibuster to end the shutdown.

VOTERS SEE BOTH PARTIES AS BECOMING MORE EXTREME AND FARTHER FROM THEIR VIEWS, WANT HEALTH INSURANCE AND FOOD SECURITY

• 43% of voters, a plurality, say the Democratic Party today is moving farther from their own views; 45%, also a plurality, say the same of the Republican Party.
• 61% of voters say the Republican Party today is more of a MAGA/Trump party, while voters are split on whether the Democratic Party is more of a mainstream liberal party (37%) or socialist party (34%).
• 50% say that the Democratic Party understands and prioritizes the issues that matter most to them well; 46% say the same of the Republican Party.
• 46% of voters say they and their family need help with health insurance the most from an outside resource, followed by food security (40%).

OFF-CYCLE ELECTIONS POINT TO NEED OF GOP PARTY TO BROADEN ITS BASE WHILE MAJORITY ACROSS PARTIES REJECT MAMDANI'S POLICIES

• 63% say that the GOP needs to broaden its positions to appeal to more people in the middle.
• 50% of voters think that Zohran Mamdani represents the Democratic Party today (Democrats: 65%; Republicans: 47%; Independents: 38%). 51% say that the Democratic Party moved too far to the left.
• 59% of voters would not consider voting for Mamdani after reading policies (Democrats: 33%; Republicans: 78%; Independents: 65%). A strong majority of voters, including a majority across political parties, think houses, stores, and factories should be left to private enterprise and the market (77%); believe Israel is the homeland of the Jewish people (74%); support increases in police funding (71%); and believe prostitution should be kept illegal (64%). 67% of voters oppose open borders (Democrats: 49%; Republicans: 79%; Independents: 72%).

VOTERS BELIEVE HAMAS IS NOT RESPECTING TRUMP'S PEACE DEAL

• 53% of voters support Trump's handling of the Israeli-Hamas conflict so far, though 59% say Trump are skeptical of whether Trump will be able to keep peace between Israel and Hamas.
• 71% of voters favor the deal brought together by the Trump administration to secure the safe return of the Israel hostages and end the hostilities in Gaza, and 65% support Trump's 21-point peace plan.
• 51% of voters say Israel is not respecting the deal with Hamas, while 66% say Hamas is not respecting the deal with Israel. 57% say that Arab governments are not respecting the deal.
• 74% of voters say that the deal should require Hamas to completely disarm and disband as part of the solution to conflict, and 51% say Arab governments should be responsible for ensuring Hamas disarms.
• 68% of voters say the long-term answer to the Israeli-Palestinian dispute is for there to be two states: Israel and Palestine.

CONTINUED SUPPORT FOR SANCTIONS ON RUSSIA AND SUPPORT FOR UKRAINE

• 65% of voters support Trump's efforts to end the war in Ukraine, though 63% say Trump will not solve Ukraine.
• 72% of voters support the Trump administration sanctioning Russia's top oil and gas companies to get President Vladimir Putin to agree to an immediate ceasefire. 72% support additional economic sanctions on Russia to try to force it to end the war (-5).
• 77% of voters say Europe should stop buying oil from Russia and buy it from the US instead if it were practical. 58% support punitive tariffs on governments who buy oil and gas from Russia.
• 65% of voters say the Trump administration should continue to provide weaponry to Ukraine and impose further economic sanctions on Russia.

STRONG MAJORITY OF VOTERS FAVOR ARREST AND REMOVAL OF MADURO FROM OFFICE

• 63% of voters say Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro should be removed from office. When given context of Maduro's election fraud and narco-terrorism indictment, 81% of voters say he should be removed.
• 67% of voters think the actions of the Maduro regime in Venezuela threaten U.S. national security.
• 73% of voters say the U.S. should try to arrest Maduro and take him to the U.S. to face trial.

The November Harvard CAPS / Harris poll survey was conducted online within the United States on November 4-6, 2025, among 2,000 registered voters by The Harris Poll and HarrisX. Follow the Harvard CAPS / Harris poll podcast at https://www.markpennpolls.com/ or on iHeart Radio, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and other podcast platforms. 

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]  

 

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/november-harvard-caps--harris-poll-75-of-voters-oppose-government-shutdown-up-5-pts-from-september-while-congressional-approval-falls-to-lowest-in-more-than-one-year-302610492.html

SOURCE Stagwell Inc.