NBC poll shows US voters upbeat yet souring on state of economy

Ros Krasny, Bloomberg News on Mar 16, 2025

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Voters are starting to sour on the state of the U.S. economy even as the start of President Donald Trump’s second term has boosted positivity about the nation as a whole, an NBC News poll shows.

More registered voters see the U.S. headed in the right direction than at any point since early 2004, at 44%, although a majority still say the nation is on the wrong track.

A majority of voters — 54% — disapproved of Trump’s handling of the economy in the first weeks of his term, and 55% disapproved of his handling of inflation and the cost of living. Just 18% of voters rate the U.S. economy as “excellent” or “good,” with pessimism among Democrats a feature.

Trump’s overall approval rating was as high as it’s ever been, at 47%, although a majority — 51% — disapproves of his performance, according to the poll.

The Democratic Party posted its lowest favorability rating in the history of the NBC News poll. Just 27% of registered voters — and only 59% of self-identified Democrats — viewed the party positively.

The poll surveyed 1,000 registered voters from March 7-11 via telephone interviews and an online survey sent via text message. The margin of error is plus or minus 3.1 percentage points.

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