The Albany Gazette - February Caps / Harris Poll: Trump's State Of The Union Address Gets A 60% Favorable Rating, With All 11 New Policies Receiving Majority Support

NEW YORK, NY and CAMBRIDGE, MA / ACCESS Newswire / March 2, 2026 / Stagwell (NASDAQ: STGW) today released the results of the February 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 is at 46%, showing slight improvements across nearly every policy area. His job approval is highest on fighting crime in America's cities (51%), immigration (48%), and returning America to its values (48%); and lowest on responding to anti-ICE protests in Minneapolis (42%) and tariffs and trade policy (43%). This month's poll also covered public opinion on the State of the Union, overall economy, midterms, recent Supreme Court ruling, voter ID requirements, economic ideology, and U.S. foreign policy in Latin America, the Middle East, and Ukraine. We will release a special follow-up report later this week on the conflict in Iran. Download the key results here.

"The Americans are single-mindedly focused on the economy, and this poll shows there is room for people to change their opinion as we're seeing some improvement in the long-term trend," said Mark Penn, Co-Director of the Harvard CAPS / Harris poll and Stagwell Chairman and CEO. "The administration has to keep working on explaining its economic policy to change the minds of voters ahead of the midterms."

SLIGHT IMPROVEMENT IN PERCEPTIONS OF THE ECONOMY

• 51% of voters say the U.S. economy is strong today (+2 pts., Jan. 2026; +8 pts., Nov. 2025).

• 36% of voters say their personal financial situation is improving (+4 pts., Nov. 2025), particularly among Republican, male, likely midterm, 25-44 y.o., and urban voters.

• 52% of voters say the economy is better today than it was when Biden was president (+5 pts., Jan. 2026). 59% attribute today's economy to Trump (Democrats: 75%; Republicans: 44%; Independents: 58%).

• 52% of voters say the economy is shrinking (-4). 62% think inflation is above 3 percent, including a majority across political parties (-4).

VOTERS CONTINUE TO SUPPORT MOST OF TRUMP'S POLICIES

• The majority of key Trump policies continue to see majority support. His most popular policies are lowering prescription drug prices (80% support), deporting illegal immigrants who have committed crimes (75%), eliminating fraud in government expenditures (71%), and capping credit card interest rates at 10% for one year (69%).

• Trump's least popular policies include removing information about civil rights and climate change from public sites (32% support), Medicaid cost cuts (42%), and hiring additional ICE agents to conduct immigration raids (45%).

• Inflation and immigration continue to be the nation's top two most important issues today, according to voters, with healthcare increasing in salience this month (+3).

• The Republican Party approval rating is at 48% (+4 pts., Jan. 2026), while the Democratic Party approval rating is at 45% (+1). Congressional approval is at 34% (+2).

FAVORABLE RESPONSE TO STATE OF THE UNION WITH NEW TRUMP POLICIES SEEING STRONG SUPPORT

• 47% of voters say they watched the State of the Union address, with 60% who watched at least some of the address having a favorable opinion of it.

• All 11 of Trump's new policies announced in the address received majority support, with the most popular being a stock trading ban on Congressional members (72%), federal accounts for employees without retirement plans (70%), a ban preventing single-family home purchases from Wall Street firms (69%), and a most-favored-nation drug pricing deal (68%).

• 52% of voters say it was appropriate for some Democrats to boycott the address, but 57% say their booing and jeering was inappropriate.

• 33% of voters watched the Democratic rebuttal speech by Virginia governor Abigail Spanberger, with 61% who watched at least some of the speech having a favorable opinion of it.

REPUBLICANS GAIN EDGE POST-EXPOSURE TO PARTY MESSAGING IF CONGRESSIONAL ELECTIONS WERE HELD TODAY

• Voters are split 50-50 on which party they would vote for if the congressional election were held today (Republicans +4 pts., Jan. 2026).

• When given statements about party messaging, Republican messaging on responsible governance via curbed spending, closed borders, and reduced crime resonates most, with more than 2 in 5 voters, a plurality, saying the messages make them more likely to vote Republican.

• Anti-Trump messaging from Democrats is more effective than affordability messaging, with 61% of voters saying messages on stopping Trump and his tariffs are believable. However, the message only delivers a net +2 boost in likely vote choice toward Democrats.

• After exposure to each party's messaging, 51% of voters say they are more likely to vote for a Republican for Congress than a Democrat. The Republican lead grows to 4 pts. among likely voters.

VOTERS AGREE WITH SUPREME COURT RULING AGAINST TRUMP'S TARIFFS

• 65% of voters agree with the Supreme Court's ruling limiting Trump's power to impose global tariffs without congressional approval, including a majority across political parties.

• 62% of voters say fentanyl/drug trafficking and large U.S. trade deficits are real issues and emergencies facing the country (Democrats: 43%; Republicans: 81%; Independents: 59%), but 42%, a plurality, say the president should not have authority to impose tariffs in non-emergency situations.

• 56% of voters oppose Trump's new 15% global tariff after the Supreme Court ruling.

• 51% of voters oppose Trump's tariffs imposed last year, with 54% saying the tariffs went too far.

MOST VOTERS BACK THE SAVE AMERICA ACT, BELIEVING ONLY U.S. CITIZENS SHOULD BE ALLOWED TO VOTE

• 58% of voters believe there is at least some voter fraud in U.S. elections, particularly among Republicans (77%) and Independents (58%), despite 60% saying the elections are generally secure.

• 85% of voters say only U.S. citizens should be allowed to vote, including a strong majority across political parties.

• 71% of voters support the SAVE America Act (Democrats: 50%; Republicans: 91%; Independents: 69%), with 54% prioritizing stopping voter fraud over access concerns for eligible citizens.

• The majority of voters support specific requirements of the Act, including proof of citizenship (75%), voter ID (81%), states removing non-citizens from voter rolls (80%), and states sharing redacted voting rolls with the Department of Homeland Security (61%).

• 73% of voters say we should have a national law requiring all ballots to be counted within 24 hours of Election Day.

• 68% of voters support early voting, including a majority across political parties.

AMERICANS ARE OVERWHLEMINGLY PRO-FREE ENTERPRISE

• 76% of voters say America should be run as a free enterprise country, including a strong majority across political parties, and 78% believe they have a better life under such a system.

• 59% say capitalism is a better economic system than socialism (Democrats: 46%; Republicans: 74%; Independents: 57%).

• 91% of voters support private homeownership, private property rights, and freedom of opinion. 84% believe grocery stores should be privately run.

• 65% of voters believe the people own their own houses, not the state, under socialism, including a majority across political parties.

• 52% of voters say teachers' unions are heavily involved in politics, with most viewing them as in the political center (41%) or left-leaning (37%). 60% say they should not be involved in political issues (Democrats: 50%; Republicans: 63%; Independents: 66%).

MAJORITY SUPPORT FOR TRUMP'S GAZA DEAL

• 73% of voters support Trump's deal to secure the safe return of Israeli hostages and end hostilities in Gaza (+6), including a majority across political parties and age groups.

• 71% of voters continue to support Israel over Hamas in the conflict.

MORE VOTERS SUPPORT MADURO'S ARREST VERSUS LAST MONTH, WANT MORE AGGRESSIVE U.S. STANCE AGAINST DICTATORS AND DRUG CARTELS

• 59% of voters support the arrest of Nicolás Maduro (+5), with 58% saying his removal was in the national interest of the U.S. (+7; Democrats: 41%; Republicans: 79%; Independents: 52%).

• 54% of voters say the U.S. should try to fix the Venezuelan oil industry (-3), though 51% say the U.S. is not entitled to proceeds.

• 62% of voters believe pushing Venezuela towards a democratic transition should be a key priority for the Trump administration, including a majority across political parties.

• 67% of voters say the U.S. should take a more aggressive stand in our hemisphere against leaders propped up by drug cartels, and 62% support a U.S. maximum pressure campaign on the government of Mexico to fight drug cartels.

• 66% of voters think the U.S. should take a more aggressive stance against dictators propped up by Russia and China (+5).

MAJORITY OF VOTERS WANT THE U.S. TO CONTINUE SUPPORTING UKRAINE

• 66% of voters say Trump should continue to provide weapons to Ukraine and impose further economic sanctions on Russia, including a majority across political parties.

• 63% of voters say Ukraine should receive direct security guarantees from the U.S. if it makes concessions to end the war.

• 51% of voters support Trump's handling of the Ukraine-Russia conflict so far.

The February Harvard CAPS / Harris poll survey was conducted online within the United States on February 25-26, 2026, among 1,999 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]

SOURCE: Stagwell

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(D.Lewis--TAG)