Trump Job Ratings negative; Americans support vaccines: poll

The views of Americans about the work performance of President Donald Trump remain negative in the midst of activity of his administration on rates, immigration and public health, according to the latest NBC News Decision Desk Poll driven by SurveyMonkey.

The poll in particular shows that adults express strong, two -part support for vaccines, because the secretary of the health and human services of Trump, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., has moved to limit certain shots. The poll was held before Democratic and some Republican senators sparkled with Kennedy on vaccine access during a controversial conference session last week.

Respondents said they prefer leadership with political experience above outsiders who will shake things in the midst of a second Trump presidency that is determined by radical and rapid change.

Just over 4 in 10 Americans, 43%, approves Trump's task performance in the survey, similar to his status in June, while 57% rejects. Trump's weakest assessments are about economic affairs, with 39% approval of his handling of inflation and 41% approval of his trade and rates.

Americans continue to give the president stronger figures when dealing with immigration. The poll asked slightly different formulation than different halves of the respondents. Those asked if they approve Trump's handling of “border protection and immigration” Trump give an approval classification of 47% on this issue.

But those who asked if they approve Trump's handling of “deportations and border security” in the midst of the aggressive deportation program of his administration, Trump give a slightly lower, 43% approval rating on the issue.

The NBC News Decision Desk Poll driven by SurveyMonkey investigated 30.196 adults online from 13 August. 1 and has an error margin of plus or minus 1.9 percentage points.

When handling different issues and in general for presidential approval, the poll not only shows the general feelings that lean against Trump, but also the intensity of those feelings.

The enthusiasm of the voter will be crucial later this year in elections and in the interim elections in 14 months. The poll asked Americans to describe their feelings about the Trump presidency.

Almost half of the Democrats (49%) report that they are “furious” about the actions of the Trump government, the most extreme negative reaction option. On the other hand, 27% of the Republicans say that they are 'happy' with the actions of the administration – the strongest positive response. And 18% say they are “happy” and 28% more say they are “satisfied”. The results are comparable to the previous NBC News Decision Desk -Poll in June.

Only 8% of the Independents report positive feelings for the actions of the Trump administration, much lower than the 56% that report negative feelings. And more than two-thirds of the Independents went clustered around the two options in or near the Middle “dissatisfied” and “neutral”-Democrats and Republicans clustering on both sides.

While the established operators in Washington and potential challengers are starting to look at the primary and general elections of 2026, the majority of Americans say they prefer a politician who “is an insider with the experience needed to get things done.”

Fifty -eight percent of all adults say they prefer an insider, compared to 42% who say they prefer a political “outsider who wants to shake things up and change the system.”

While Trump has positioned himself as the ultimate outsider during his political career, 6 in 10 Republicans said they prefer a politician who is an outsider.

In the meantime, three -quarters of the Democrats say that they prefer an insider, even in the midst of a rolling fight over generation change and the effectiveness of party leaders in the aftermath of the election loss of Democrats. Independent people are more in line with Democrats, because 6 out of 10 say they prefer a politician who is an insider with experience.

This part -time gap offers a different perspective than the results of the NBC News Decision desk survey in April, in which a majority of Americans – in general and between festive lines – said they agreed that “nothing in the country will change until we choose a new generation of leaders to Washington.” (That question was not kept in the last survey.)

The most important issues for Americans generally remain the economy and threats for democracy, followed by health care and crime and security.

With the recent deployment of Trump of National Guard troops in Washington, DC, the Administration Crime and Security has put more in the news – and have responded Republicans, with more of them that they are now giving the issue priority than in June.

Among the Republicans, 18% rank crime and safety as the issue that is most important to them, only second place for the economy. That is 5 percentage points higher than in June. Democrats and Independents remain unchanged about how they see the importance of crime and safety.

Inflation was one of the drivers who animated Trump's victory in 2024 and it remains a great concern for Americans.

Forty-five percent of American adults say that inflation and the increasing costs of living are the economic issue that is currently the most important for them and their family-more than 30 points for the Body-Bagste Economic issues, such as healthcare costs, taxes and Take-home wages, interest rates and affordability of housing.

When it comes to their personal financial situation, about a quarter of the respondents say that they are better in shape today than a year ago. A third says they are worse off today and about 4 in 10 says they are in about the same financial position as a year ago.

Although Americans are generally not optimistic about their personal finances, about 4 in 10 Republicans say that their finances are better today than a year ago. The poll also finds a positive shift from June among independent and women younger than 30, who had 4 and 5 points respectively, to say that their finances are better today.

An overwhelming majority of Americans supports the use of vaccines for preventing diseases, including 49% that support it strongly and 78% that support it strong or somewhat. The question that was broadly asked about vaccines, not about individual types of shots.

During festive lines, large majorities of Democrats (93%), Independent (72%) and Republicans (67%) say they support with the help of vaccines. A third of the Republicans and about 3 in 10 Independents say that they oppose the use of vaccines for preventing diseases.

Independent people are closer to Republicans than Democrats about this issue. In particular, that group has shifted 5 points more to opposition since June.

While the poll was administered in the field, the Food and Drug Administration approved a Covid shot, but with more limited access than in the past, and Trump fired the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director after clashing with Kennedy.

The research results also illustrate the possible political danger of Kennedy's rhetoric and policy movements on vaccines, which have generated pushback from members of the congress in both parties.

The NBC News Decision Desk Poll driven by SurveyMonkey investigated 30,196 adults online from 13 August to 1 September and has an error margin of plus or minus 1.9 percentage points.