Eight in 10 Voters Want Major Change in Washington as Trump’s Approval Sinks to 36%, AP-NORC Poll Finds

With less than three weeks until the midterm elections, American voters are overwhelmingly frustrated with the direction of the country, and a clear plurality would prefer to see Democrats take control of Congress, according to a new poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research.

Eight in 10 registered voters said the country needs either “substantial change” or “complete and total upheaval” in how it is run. Only about 1 in 10 described themselves as optimistic about the state of U.S. politics.

Economy dominates the agenda

The economy (85%) and the cost of living (84%) topped the list of issues voters called most important to their decision, followed by health care (69%) and the war with Iran (64%). Immigration and crime — areas where President Trump has typically polled better — were named as top issues by 45% of voters, while artificial intelligence (35%) and transgender issues (12%) ranked lower.

Just 36% of voters approve of Trump’s overall job performance, while 64% disapprove. About three-quarters disapprove of his handling of the economy, and 79% disapprove of his approach to the cost of living. Crime remains a relative strength, with 45% approving.

Democrats hold an edge on control of Congress

Forty-seven percent of voters said they would like Democrats to control the House and 46% said the same of the Senate, compared with 38% who prefer Republicans for each chamber. Fifteen percent were unsure, with independents most likely to be undecided. Democrats also reported more enthusiasm about voting than Republicans.

Neither party is viewed warmly: about a third of voters hold a favorable view of Trump, Vice President JD Vance or the Republican Party, while 4 in 10 see the Democratic Party favorably.

Echoes in other surveys

The findings align with a Harris poll for The Guardian showing that three in four Americans are worried about a recession and that 65% of independents believe the economy is getting worse, up from 48% in September 2024. Only 28% of Republicans in that survey said the economy is improving.

The AP-NORC poll of 1,119 adults was conducted Oct. 8–12 using NORC’s probability-based AmeriSpeak panel and has a margin of sampling error of plus or minus 3.9 percentage points.