How do different demographic groups rate Trump’s handling of the economy in 2025?
Executive summary
Public views in 2025 of President Trump’s handling of the economy skewed negative across national polls, but the intensity and direction of that judgment varied sharply by party, age and income: majorities disapproved overall, Republicans remained largely supportive while Gen Z and many working‑class and independent voters registered significant dissatisfaction [1] [2] [3] [4].
1. Overall national picture: declining economic approval
By late 2025 multiple national trackers showed Trump’s economic approval at multi‑year lows—AP‑NORC and other surveys found just about 31–36% of adults approving of his handling of the economy with disapproval majorities in the high 50s to low 60s, and Reuters reported only 33% approval on economic stewardship in mid‑December [1] [2] [5].
2. Partisan splits: Republicans cling to approval while Democrats overwhelmingly reject it
Polls consistently show a stark partisan divide: roughly seven in ten Republicans continued to approve of Trump’s economic management even as that share slipped from earlier in the year, while Democrats almost uniformly disapproved—AP‑NORC and Fortune cited roughly 69% Republican approval versus near‑universal Democratic disapproval in December polls [2] [3].
3. Age breakdown: Gen Z’s support collapsed
Younger voters, who had unexpectedly supported Trump more in 2024, reversed course sharply on economic ratings in 2025; CBS/YouGov waves summarized in Newsweek and The Independent show Gen Z’s net approval plunged from about +10 points early in the term to roughly −32 points later, with many Gen Z respondents citing cost‑of‑living pressures and economic anxiety as reasons [6] [4].
4. Income and working‑class voters: mixed signals but growing anxiety
Low‑income households showed volatility: Economist/YouGov snapshots reported modest rebounds in approval among households under $50,000 in some waves but net ratings remained negative (about −16 points in one late‑December wave), while Navigator and Newsweek flagged working‑class margins where approval was substantially underwater—illustrating persistent cost‑of‑living concerns among those groups [7] [8] [9].
5. Independents and swing voters: movement toward disapproval
Independents moved away from Trump on economic questions over 2025; AP‑NORC and Marist data show independent approval shrinking (independents’ approval on the economy fell into the mid‑20s in some polls) and independents were far more likely than Republicans to describe the economy as poor, a dynamic that undercuts broader electoral durability [3] [1].
6. Issue nuance: inflation, cost of living and tariffs drive evaluations
Across polls the specifics of economic pain mattered: disapproval concentrated on inflation and cost‑of‑living management and grew around policy moves like tariffs and shutdowns that some economists linked to hiring slowdowns—surveys cited by Navigator and Reuters name inflation and tariff impacts as central drivers of negative economic ratings [8] [5].
7. Polling differences and caveats: magnitudes vary, trends consistent
While exact approval percentages vary by vendor—Economist/YouGov, AP‑NORC, Marist, Reuters/Ipsos and aggregated trackers report different point estimates—the cross‑poll pattern is consistent: low overall economic approval, strong partisan polarization, sharp deterioration among young voters, and eroding support among independents and parts of the working class; poll timing, question wording and sample frames explain much of the numeric spread [10] [11] [12].
8. Political implications: who’s at risk
The demographic pattern suggests Trump’s core Republican base still provides a cushion on economic ratings, but erosion among Gen Z, independents and financially anxious working‑class voters—groups identified in AP‑NORC, Navigator and YouGov/Newsweek reporting—creates vulnerabilities going into 2026 midterms if economic perceptions don’t improve [3] [8] [6].