- 93% say gas prices are up; in January 50% said they were down
- 24% approve of Trump’s handling of inflation, with Republican support of his policies declining
- Democrats lead in generic November congressional ballot by 4 points with registered voters; by 10 points with likely voters
- Opposition to data centers is increasing among all partisan groups, and negative opinion of AI is high
MILWAUKEE – A new Marquette Law School Poll national survey finds 75% approve of the cease-fire in the U.S.-Iran war and 24% disapprove. At the same time, only 21% say the U.S. has achieved its goals in the war, while 78% say the goals have not been met. The public overall does not think that there were sufficient reasons for the war, with 63% saying there were not sufficient reasons and 36% saying there were.
There is bipartisan approval of the cease-fire that went into effect on April 7. Among Republicans, 82% approve of the cease-fire, as do 71% of Democrats and 67% of independents. There is also a bipartisan sentiment, with some partisan variation, that the goals of the war have not been achieved. Among Republicans, 64% say the United States has failed to achieve its goals, compared to 94% of Democrats and 78% of independents.
Bipartisanship breaks down on the question of the justification for the war. Seventy-one percent of Republicans say there was sufficient reason for the war, while 94% of Democrats say there was not. Among independents, 75% say there was not enough reason to go to war.
Thirty-two percent approve of the way President Donald Trump has handled the war, while 68% disapprove. Among Republicans, approval for Trump’s handling of the war stands at 65%, which is notably less than the 78% of Republicans who approve of Trump’s handling of his job as president in general. Among independents, 82% disapprove of Trump’s handling of the war, along with 96% of Democrats.
The survey was conducted April 8-16, 2026, interviewing 982 adults nationwide, with a margin of error of +/-3.4 percentage points. For registered voters, the sample size was 870, with a margin of error of +/-3.6. For likely voters, the sample size was 576, with a margin of error of +/-4.4 percentage points.
Feelings toward Iran are quite negative, with 12% having a favorable opinion, 73% holding unfavorable views, and 14% saying they haven’t heard enough to say. The U.S. partner in the war, Israel, is seen favorably by 33% and unfavorably by 54%, with 14% who say they haven’t heard enough. Views of Israel have turned more negative over the past year. In March 2025, 43% held favorable views of Israel, compared to 43% unfavorable, with 14% lacking an opinion.
Trump threatened to bomb bridges and power plants across Iran in the days before the cease-fire went into effect. These are seen as legitimate military targets by 38% of respondents, while 62% say they are primarily civilian infrastructure that should not be attacked. Sixty-six percent of Republicans view these as legitimate military targets, while 34% disagree. Among independents, 70% say these are civilian locations and should not be attacked, as do 88% of Democrats.
The Iran war comes after the United States has destroyed dozens of alleged drug-running boats in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific, sent military forces into Venezuela to seize President Nicolás Maduro in January, and threatened to take control of Greenland. Respondents were asked whether they support or oppose Trump’s use of the military to force change in other countries.
- Thirty-two percent support this use of the military, while 68% are opposed.
- As with approval of Trump’s handling of the Iran war, Republicans divide, though not evenly, with 64% in support of forcing change in other countries and 36% opposed.
- Eighty-three percent of independents and 94% of Democrats are opposed to such use of military force.
- In this poll, 68% of Republicans are favorable to MAGA and 30% are not favorable to the Make America Great Again (MAGA) movement. Among Republicans favorable to the MAGA movement, 78% support using the military to force countries to change, while among Republicans who are not favorable to MAGA, 34% support this use of the military.
The public does not see the United States as a force for stability in the world. While 39% say the U.S. is a force for stability, 60% say it is causing instability. Here, too, there is a partisan divide, with 73% of Republicans who say the U.S. is a stabilizing force, while 72% of independents and 90% of Democrats say it is causing instability.
A majority, 57%, say it is better for the future of the country to take an active part in world affairs, while 43% say it is better to stay out of world affairs. Support for an active role peaked in March 2025 when 64% favored an active role in the world—the highest in 18 Marquette Law School Poll national surveys since 2022.
Partisan views of the U.S. role in the world have shifted during Trump’s second term. In February 2025, 55% of Republicans said the U.S. should be active in the world. That rose to 68% in this poll. Independents are most reluctant to support an international role, with support among independents declining from 54% in early 2025 to 32% this month. Democrats have consistently been most supportive of an active role across the previous 17 polls since 2022, but have shifted substantially, especially since the Iran war began. In February 2025, 71% favored an active role; that fell to 64% in January 2026 and to 54% in April.
Attention to news about the Iran war
The public has paid substantial attention to the Iran war. In April, 76% had read or heard a lot about the war, 21% had heard a little, and 3% had heard nothing at all. That is more attention than was paid to the U.S. airstrikes on Iran nuclear facilities in June 2025, when 63% said they had heard a lot in July.
The only comparably high levels of attention in polling during Trump’s second term have been to the imposition of tariffs in April 2025, when 81% said they had heard a lot, and the fatal shooting of Renee Good by an ICE officer in Minneapolis in January, when 76% had heard a lot. Democrats and Republicans are equally likely to say they heard a lot about the current Iran war, 82% and 80% respectively, while independents have paid considerably less attention, with 51% hearing a lot.
Attention is also relatively high concerning Iran limiting oil shipments through the Strait of Hormuz. Sixty percent say have heard a lot about this, 27% have heard a little, and 13% have heard nothing at all. As with the war in general, Democrats and Republicans are equally attentive, while independents are much less so.
Significantly fewer Americans paid close attention to the rescue of two U.S. airmen whose airplane was shot down over Iran, leading to a large number of ground troops being dispatch inside Iran to rescue the second airman. About this, only 45% said they had heard a lot, 34% heard a little, and 21% heard nothing. While 58% of Republicans heard a lot about this, 39% of Democrats did, and just 24% of independents.
Gas and grocery prices and the economy
The public is strikingly aware of the change in gasoline prices since the Iran war began. In January, gasoline prices were a bright spot in views of the cost of living, with 50% saying prices had gone down over the previous six months, 29% saying prices had held steady, and just 21% saying they were paying more for gas.
Those views dramatically changed in April, when 93% say gas prices have increased, 5% say they’ve held steady, and just 2% say prices have declined. On this, there is agreement across all partisan categories: 90% of Republicans, 95% of independents, and 96% of Democrats agree prices have increased.
In addition to rising gasoline prices, 82% say the cost of groceries has gone up over the last six months, an increase from 70% in January. Grocery prices are said to be stable by 14% and are thought to have declined by 4%. In January, 11% thought their grocery bill was down. Republicans are less likely to say grocery prices are up, 68%, compared to 90% of independents and 93% of Democrats.
Opinion about the state of the economy also worsened from January to April. In April, 25% say the economy is excellent or good, down from 35% in January. Thirty percent say it is poor, up from 25% in January. The economy is seen as not so good by 46% in April, up from 40% in January.
The expectation of inflation over the next year has also worsened. In April, 70% think inflation will increase, up from 61% in January. Eighteen percent think it will stay about the same, and 13% think it will decrease.
The percentage of people who say they personally are better off than a year ago fell to 20% in April, from 28% in January. Those saying they are worse off rose slightly from 34% to 38%, and those saying they are doing about the same was 42% in April, up from 37%.
Most important issues
As has been the case in all six Marquette Law School national polls since March 2025, inflation and the cost of living is the issue that matters most to the public, with 30% citing it. In January, 38% chose inflation as the issue that mattered most. The decline however is in part due to the addition of the war with Iran in the April poll, which was picked as most important by 24%, the second most-cited issue. The next most common concern was the economy at 15%, followed by immigration and border security at 7%. Table 1 shows the full set of issue concerns from April and January. (All results in the tables are stated as percentages.)
Table 1: Most important issue
Among adults
| Issue | ||
| April | January | |
| Inflation and the cost of living | 30 | 38 |
| The war between Iran, Israel and the United States | 24 | NA |
| The economy | 15 | 17 |
| Immigration and border security | 7 | 14 |
| Medicare & Social Security | 6 | 9 |
| Health care | 5 | 8 |
| The size of the federal deficit | 3 | 3 |
| Crime | 3 | 2 |
| Abortion policy | 2 | 3 |
| The war between Russia and Ukraine | NA | 1 |
| Marquette Law School Poll, national surveys, latest: Apr. 8-16, 2026 | ||
| Question: Which one of the following issues matters MOST to you right now? | ||
Trump handling of issues
Confidence that Trump’s policies will decrease inflation has fallen by nearly half since December 2024, the month after he was reelected. At that time, 41% thought his policies would lower inflation, but in April 2026 only 23% think this. At the end of 2025, 45% thought his policies would increase inflation. In the current poll, 62% think his policies will drive inflation up. Another 15% say his policies won’t affect inflation, the same percentage as in December 2025.
This loss of confidence in Trump’s inflation policies has been especially pronounced among Republicans and independents. In December 2024, 76% of Republicans expected him to reduce inflation, but in this poll just 50% of Republicans still think so. Independents were not nearly so optimistic at the end of 2024, when 28% thought Trump would lower inflation, but only 5% think so now. Democrats never believed he would cut inflation: just 8% in the month after he was reelected and 2% now.
Respondents were asked, “Regardless of specific policies, how much do you trust Donald Trump to make the right decisions for the country?” Confidence has declined from 45% who completely or mostly trusted him in March 2025 to 39% now, with those who completely or mostly not trusting him rising from 55% to 61% in April.
Approval of how Trump is handling his job as president stands at 39%, against 60% who disapprove, for a net approval rating of -21 percentage points. The approval rating is a new low for the second term, down from 42% approval in January 2026; it was 48% in February 2025, at the start of his second term.
Among Republicans, Trump’s approval is 78%, down from 89% at the start of his second term. This is the first time GOP approval has fallen below 80%. Approval among independents is 20%. Among Democrats, it is 6%.
On specific issues, approval ranges from 52% on border security to 24% on inflation. All issues other than the border have more disapproval than approval, with handling of immigration at 44% approval and approval of tariffs, the economy, the war with Iran, and inflation getting lower approval than Trump’s overall approval of how he handles his job (39%). Trump’s handling of inflation gets the lowest net approval rating of all issues, at -52 points. The full set of issues are shown in Table 2.
Table 2: Trump job approval across issues
Among adults
| Issue | Net approve minus disapprove | Approve | Disapprove |
| Border security | 5 | 52 | 47 |
| Immigration | -11 | 44 | 55 |
| Overall | -21 | 39 | 60 |
| Tariffs | -31 | 34 | 65 |
| The economy | -36 | 32 | 68 |
| The war with Iran | -36 | 32 | 68 |
| Inflation/cost of living | -52 | 24 | 76 |
| Marquette Law School Poll, national survey, Apr. 8-16, 2026 | |||
| Question: Overall, how much do you approve or disapprove of the way Donald Trump is handling his job as president? | |||
| Question: Overall, how much do you approve or disapprove of the way Donald Trump is handling each of the following issues? | |||
Trump’s approval within each partisan group also varies considerably across issues. Among Republicans, approval ranges from 90% for his handling of border security to 48% for handling inflation, the first time GOP approval has been below 50% on this item. Among independents, no topic wins as much as 40% approval, and none reach 20% among Democrats. The full results are shown in Table 3.
Table 3: Trump job approval across issues, by partisan identification
Among adults
| Issue | All adults approve | Rep approve | Ind approve | Dem Approve |
| Border security | 52 | 90 | 39 | 18 |
| Immigration | 44 | 81 | 34 | 10 |
| Overall | 39 | 78 | 20 | 6 |
| Tariffs | 34 | 71 | 14 | 4 |
| The war with Iran | 32 | 65 | 16 | 4 |
| The economy | 32 | 64 | 15 | 5 |
| Inflation/cost of living | 24 | 48 | 7 | 5 |
| Marquette Law School Poll, national survey, Apr. 8-16, 2026 | ||||
| Question: Overall, how much do you approve or disapprove of the way Donald Trump is handling his job as president? | ||||
| Question: Overall, how much do you approve or disapprove of the way Donald Trump is handling each of the following issues? | ||||
Views of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) remain negative, with 39% who approve of how ICE is enforcing immigration laws and 61% who disapprove. In January, 40% approved and 60% disapproved.
Favorability to Trump administration figures
Opinion of members of the Trump administration varies considerably, and by partisanship. Favorability ratings of the president and vice president, along with Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, former Attorney General Pam Bondi, and FBI Director Kash Patel find each with more unfavorable than favorable ratings among all adult respondents, as seen in Table 4. Rubio and Vance have the least negative ratings, followed by Hegseth, Patel, and Trump, with Bondi seen the most unfavorably.
Table 4: Favorability to administration officials
Among adults
| Official | Favorablity | |||
| Net | Favorable | Unfavorable | Haven’t heard enough | |
| Marco Rubio | -12 | 33 | 45 | 22 |
| JD Vance | -13 | 39 | 52 | 9 |
| Pete Hegseth | -21 | 25 | 46 | 29 |
| Kash Patel | -22 | 25 | 47 | 28 |
| Donald Trump | -22 | 38 | 60 | 1 |
| Pam Bondi | -39 | 19 | 58 | 24 |
| Marquette Law School Poll, national survey Apr. 8-16, 2026 | ||||
| Question: Do you have a favorable or an unfavorable opinion of the following or haven’t you heard enough yet to have an opinion? | ||||
Their ratings are considerably more favorable among Republicans, with all except Bondi having a net positive favorability, as shown in Table 5. Each of the cabinet secretaries is considerably less well known than the president or vice president.
Table 5: Favorability to administration officials, among Republicans
Among Republicans
| Official | Favorablity | |||
| Net | Favorable | Unfavorable | Haven’t heard enough | |
| JD Vance | 63 | 79 | 16 | 5 |
| Donald Trump | 58 | 79 | 21 | 1 |
| Marco Rubio | 51 | 67 | 16 | 17 |
| Pete Hegseth | 33 | 53 | 20 | 27 |
| Kash Patel | 31 | 53 | 22 | 25 |
| Pam Bondi | 0 | 37 | 37 | 26 |
| Marquette Law School Poll, national survey Apr. 8-16, 2026 | ||||
| Question: Do you have a favorable or an unfavorable opinion of the following or haven’t you heard enough yet to have an opinion? | ||||
Opinion of the parties and vote for Congress in November
Both political parties are seen negatively, with the Republican party faring better than the Democrats. Thirty-seven percent approve of how Republicans in Congress are doing their job, while 30% approve of the job congressional Democrats are doing. Similarly, 38% have a favorable opinion of the Republican party and 34% are favorable towards the Democratic party. Views of the Republican party have worsened over the year since March 2025 when 46% were favorable, while favorable views of the Democratic party were the same in March 2025 as in April 2026.
Democrats are less positive about the job Democrats in Congress are doing than are Republicans about the congressional GOP. Among Democrats, 55% approve of Democrats in Congress, while among Republicans 71% approve of their party in Congress. This asymmetry between partisans accounts in part for the lower rating of Democrats in Congress. Both partisan camps very strongly disapprove of the other party: 92% of Democrats disapprove of Republicans in Congress and 91% of Republicans disapprove of congressional Democrats.
Looking ahead to the November congressional elections, among registered voters, 48% say they would vote for the Democratic candidate and 44% would vote for the Republican. An additional 6% say they would vote for neither, and 1% say they would not vote. The slight Democratic advantage increases among likely voters, i.e., those who say they are certain they will vote, to 53% for the Democratic candidate to 43% for the Republican candidate.
While Democrats are less approving of their congressional party, they are slightly more likely to vote for a Democratic candidate than are Republicans to vote for the Republican candidate, 96% and 92% respectively, among registered voters, and 97% to 93% among likely voters.
Democrats hold an advantage in plans to vote in November, with 77% of Democratic registered voters saying they are certain to vote while 65% of Republicans are equally likely to cast a ballot. A similar difference appears for enthusiasm about voting in November, with 50% of Democrats saying they are very enthusiastic compared to 33% of Republicans, among registered voters. This turnout and enthusiasm advantage boosts Democrats’ edge among those most likely to participate in the fall elections.
Each party has developed internal differences. Among Republicans, 68% have a favorable opinion of MAGA, the Make America Great Again movement, while 30% have an unfavorable opinion of MAGA and just 3% haven’t heard enough. The “non-MAGA Republicans” combine both the unfavorable and “haven’t heard enough” groups. The size of the MAGA Republicans peaked in May 2025 at 80% of the GOP. The MAGA Republicans remain much more positive to Trump and his policies than do non-MAGA Republicans, giving Trump a 95% approval rating compared to 43% among non-MAGA Republicans. While some MAGA media figures have been critical of the Iran war and other Trump actions, this has not moved the MAGA base. In contrast, the non-MAGA Republicans are quite critical of Trump and some of his policies.
On the Democratic side, the rise of progressive candidates and opinions in the party is seen in the 41% of the party who have a favorable opinion of the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA). Eighteen percent of Democrats are unfavorable, and 40% say they haven’t heard enough. The “non-DSA Democrats” include the unfavorable and the “haven’t heard enough” Democrats. This division in the party does not matter for views of Trump or support for Democratic candidates in November. More than 93% of both Democratic camps disapprove of Trump’s job performance, and more than 95% of registered voters who identify as Democrats say they will vote for the Democratic candidate.
There is, however, a considerable divide among Democrats in political ideology between the DSA and non-DSA parts of the party. Among those Democrats favorable to the DSA, 43% describe themselves as very liberal and 25% call themselves moderate. Among Democrats not favorable to the DSA (including those without an opinion of it), 15% consider themselves very liberal and 47% say they are moderate.
Similarly, MAGA Republicans are more likely to describe themselves as very conservative or somewhat conservative, whereas a slim majority of non-MAGA Republicans call themselves moderate. The full relationship between party factions and ideology, including MAGA and DSA identification within the respective parties, is shown in Table 6.
Table 6: Ideology by party and factions
Among adults
| Party & faction | Ideology | ||||
| Very conservative | Somewhat conservative | Moderate | Somewhat liberal | Very liberal | |
| Republican, MAGA | 37 | 46 | 15 | 2 | 0 |
| Republican, Non-MAGA | 14 | 33 | 51 | 2 | 0 |
| Independent | 5 | 14 | 64 | 7 | 8 |
| Democrat, Non-DSA | 3 | 8 | 47 | 27 | 15 |
| Democrat, DSA | 1 | 8 | 25 | 23 | 43 |
| Marquette Law School Poll, national survey Apr. 8-16, 2026 | |||||
| Question: Generally speaking, how would you describe your political views? | |||||
NASA and the moon
The Artemis II mission sent three Americans and a Canadian around the moon at the same time as some of the interviews for this poll. The mission was launched on April 1, prior to the start of interviews, and returned to earth April 11, before the end of interviews. Respondents have a positive opinion of NASA, with 77% favorable, 13% unfavorable, and 10% who haven’t heard enough. NASA has bipartisan support, with 81% favorable rating from Republicans and 82% from Democrats, and 55% favorable from independents, 23% of whom say they haven’t heard enough.
Favorable views of NASA are higher among those 60 years old and over as shown in Table 7.
Table 7: Favorability to NASA, by age
Among adults
| Age | Favorability | ||
| Favorable | Unfavorable | Haven’t heard enough | |
| 18-29 | 75 | 12 | 13 |
| 30-44 | 74 | 18 | 8 |
| 45-59 | 75 | 15 | 11 |
| 60+ | 83 | 8 | 9 |
| Marquette Law School Poll, national survey Apr. 8-16, 2026 | |||
| Question: [NASA] Do you have a favorable or an unfavorable opinion of the following or haven’t you heard enough yet to have an opinion? | |||
NASA also enjoys highly favorable ratings across race, gender, and education groups, with more than 70% favorable in each category. College graduates, men, and white respondents are somewhat more favorable, although all groups are quite positive. The full results are shown in Table 8.
Table 8: Favorability to NASA, by race, education, and sex
Among adults
| Race, education, sex | Favorability | ||
| Favorable | Unfavorable | Haven’t heard enough | |
| White, non-college, men | 81 | 14 | 4 |
| White, non-college, women | 71 | 13 | 16 |
| White, college, men | 94 | 3 | 3 |
| White, college, women | 85 | 10 | 5 |
| Non-white | 72 | 16 | 12 |
| Marquette Law School Poll, national survey Apr. 8-16, 2026 | |||
| Question: [NASA] Do you have a favorable or an unfavorable opinion of the following or haven’t you heard enough yet to have an opinion? | |||
The Artemis mission drew substantial attention, with 56% saying they heard or read a lot about it, 34% a little, and 10% nothing at all. Those who heard a lot were more favorable to NASA than those who heard less, with those less attentive being more likely to say they didn’t have an opinion of NASA, rather than a negative one.
While NASA’s image is quite positive, there is a much more even divide over the goal of trips to the moon and establishment of a permanent base there. Forty-six percent support a moon base, while 54% say this is not something the country should do. Here there is only a small partisan difference of opinion, with 53% of Republicans in favor of a moon base, while 55% of Democrats are opposed. Independents, however, are substantially opposed, with 72% against a moon base.
Majorities of each age group under 60 years old are opposed to a moon base, while a slim majority (54%) of those age 60 or older favor a base. Men are also slightly in favor of a base, while women are more opposed, as are nonwhite respondents.
Data centers, AI, tech companies, social media use, and a billionaire tax
A substantial majority (69%) of adults say the costs of data centers outweigh their benefits, while 30% say the benefits are greater. This represents an increase in skepticism about data centers since January, when 62% saw costs as greater than benefits and 37% said benefits are greater.
This opposition is bipartisan, with 62% of Republicans, 76% of Democrats, and 73% of independents saying the costs are greater than the benefits. This opinion increased across each partisan group. In January, 53% of Republicans, 70% of Democrats, and 65% of independents saw costs greater than benefits.
Doubts over the costs of data centers are only slightly related to income, education, age, or region of the country. Liberals are more likely to say the costs outweigh the benefits than are conservatives, but majorities of all ideological groups think the costs are greater.
Opinion of data centers was measured with a pair of questions asked of a random half sample each. One item began “Tech companies like Google and Meta (Facebook) are investing billions . . . ,” while the other question omitted mention of the companies, beginning “Companies are investing billions . . . .” Among those asked about Google and Meta, 72% said the costs outweigh the benefits, while those to whom the companies were not mentioned were slightly less likely (67%) to say costs are greater. This difference falls short of statistical significance, and the two responses have been combined for the analysis above and to follow.
Views of data centers are strongly related to views of artificial intelligence. Seventy percent of adults say the development of AI is a bad thing for society, and 30% say it is a good thing. Of those who think AI is a good thing, 62% say the benefits outweigh the costs of data centers. Among those who say AI is a bad thing, 83% say the costs outweigh the benefits.
Those who say they have used an AI app in the last month are less negative about the effect of AI on society than are non-AI users, although majorities of both AI users, 60%, and non-users, 85%, say AI is a bad thing for society.
Despite this negative view of AI, a majority of adults, 61%, say they have used an AI app in the last month. Respondents were asked about use of eight AI apps. OpenAI’s ChatGPT had the highest usage at 39%, followed by Google’s Gemini at 23%. AI mode in search engines was the third most frequent use of AI at 22%. The full list of AI use is shown in Table 9.
Table 9: Use of AI apps
Among adults
| AI app | Use of AI |
| Percent | |
| ChatGPT (Open AI) | 39 |
| Gemini (Google) | 23 |
| AI mode in search engines | 22 |
| Copilot in Microsoft applications | 12 |
| Claude (Anthropic) | 6 |
| Grok (xAI) | 4 |
| Some other AI app | 3 |
| Perplexity | 3 |
| Doesn’t use any AI | 39 |
| Marquette Law School Poll, national survey Apr. 8-16, 2026 | |
| Question: Which of the following artificial intelligence (AI) apps have you used in the past month? (Choose all that apply) | |
Use of AI increases with education. Forty-nine percent of high school graduates say they used AI in the last month, rising to 68% of college graduates and to 75% of those with post-graduate degrees.
Democrats and Republicans are equally likely to use AI, 62% and 64% respectively, with independents a little less likely to use AI, 55%.
Two giant tech companies offer contrasting public images. Google is seen favorably by 56% and unfavorably by 37%, with 7% who haven’t heard enough. YouTube, owned by Google’s parent company, is the most widely used social media app in this poll, with 75% who say they have used it in the last week. Among YouTube users, Google’s favorable rating is 56%, the same as among all adults. There are only small partisan differences in views of Google, with 56% of Republicans and 54% of Democrats holding a favorable view and a slightly more positive 63% among independents.
For Meta, formerly known as Facebook, opinion is more negative, with 28% favorable, 63% unfavorable, and 10% having not heard enough. (In the question, the company was identified as “Meta (Facebook)”.) Among Facebook users, 59% were unfavorable, as were 63% of Instagram users, another Meta company but one not mentioned in the text of the question. In this poll, 69% of adults say they use Facebook and 48% use Instagram. Partisan differences are also modest in views of Meta. Among Republicans, 31% are favorable, as are 24% of Democrats and 27% of independents.
In April, two juries delivered verdicts holding Meta (Facebook) and YouTube liable for harm to young users of their social media apps. Relatively few people had heard much about these decisions, with 18% having heard a lot about this, 53% a little, and 29% nothing at all. Opinions of Meta were unrelated to how much or little had been heard of these jury verdicts. Those who heard nothing at all were a bit more favorable to Google, 62%, than those who heard a lot or a little, 54%
Social media has thoroughly permeated the public. Only 6% of adults say that they haven’t used any of the nine social media platforms asked about in the poll in the prior week. The most widely used is YouTube at 75%, followed by Facebook at 69% and Instagram at 48%. The usage rate of each of the social media covered in this poll is shown in Table 10.
Table 10: Social media apps used in the last week
Among adults
| Social media app | Use of social media |
| Percent | |
| YouTube | 75 |
| 69 | |
| 48 | |
| TikTok | 31 |
| 23 | |
| X/Twitter | 20 |
| Snapchat | 18 |
| Truth Social | 3 |
| Bluesky | 2 |
| None of these | 6 |
| Marquette Law School Poll, national survey Apr. 8-16, 2026 | |
| Question: Which of the following sites or apps, if any, have you used in the past week? | |
There are generally modest partisan differences in use of the major social media platforms. Of the most used apps, there are small partisan gaps in YouTube and Facebook use. Democrats are more likely to use Instagram than Republicans, and to a lesser degree TikTok and Reddit, due in part to greater use among the young who also lean more Democratic. Among the apps with substantial political content, Republicans and Democrats are equally likely to use X, formerly known as Twitter. Republicans have Truth Social virtually to themselves, while Democrats are much more likely to use Bluesky than are Republicans. These results are shown in Table 11.
Table 11: Social media apps, by party identification
Among adults
| Social media app | Users by party identification | |||
| Among all adults | Republican | Independent | Democrat | |
| YouTube | 75 | 73 | 69 | 78 |
| 69 | 75 | 69 | 64 | |
| 48 | 40 | 45 | 58 | |
| TikTok | 31 | 26 | 37 | 34 |
| 23 | 17 | 22 | 29 | |
| X/Twitter | 20 | 22 | 12 | 22 |
| Snapchat | 18 | 17 | 17 | 19 |
| Truth Social | 3 | 7 | 0 | 0 |
| Bluesky | 2 | 1 | 1 | 5 |
| None of these | 6 | 7 | 9 | 3 |
| Marquette Law School Poll, national survey Apr. 8-16, 2026 | ||||
| Question: Which of the following sites or apps, if any, have you used in the past week? | ||||
Age has a much larger influence on choice of social media than does partisanship. While YouTube use is fairly even across age groups, differences are seen on Facebook. Those under 30 are substantially less likely to use Facebook than those 30 and older. Instagram, TikTok, Reddit, and Snapchat are each substantially more popular among younger than older adults. X is also more widely used among younger groups, while Truth Social is much more appealing to older people. Age differences are small for Bluesky. These results are shown in Table 12.
Table 12: Social media apps used, by age
Among adults
| Social media app | Users by age | ||||
| Among all adults | 18-29 | 30-44 | 45-59 | 60+ | |
| YouTube | 75 | 80 | 77 | 79 | 67 |
| 69 | 55 | 73 | 74 | 71 | |
| 48 | 67 | 56 | 50 | 30 | |
| TikTok | 31 | 56 | 36 | 28 | 16 |
| 23 | 35 | 34 | 16 | 12 | |
| X/Twitter | 20 | 33 | 22 | 14 | 16 |
| Snapchat | 18 | 37 | 27 | 12 | 5 |
| Truth Social | 3 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 7 |
| Bluesky | 2 | 1 | 4 | 2 | 3 |
| None of these | 6 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 10 |
| Marquette Law School Poll, national survey Apr. 8-16, 2026 | |||||
| Question: Which of the following sites or apps, if any, have you used in the past week? | |||||
California may vote on a proposed referendum in November that would impose a one-time 5% tax on the net worth of those with more than $1 billion. The referendum must gather enough signatures to be placed on the ballot, which has not yet occurred. Other states are considering various kinds of additional taxes on the very wealthy. In this survey, respondents were asked whether they favor or oppose a “special additional tax on billionaires.” This is favored by 73% and opposed by 27%. Majorities of each partisan group favor such a tax, though support is less among Republicans, 56%, than among independents, 69%, or Democrats, 91%.
Confidence in elections
Seventy percent say they are very or somewhat confident that the votes in the November elections in their state will be accurately cast and counted, while 30% say they are not too or not at all confident in the accuracy of the election. Confidence in high for both Republicans, 72%, and Democrats, 78%, but a slight majority of independents are not confident, 55%.
Respondents trust state and local officials more to ensure fair and accurate elections than the federal government, 73% to 26%. Here there is a substantial partisan divide. Among Republicans, 55% trust the state more, while 72% of independents and 92% of Democrats have more trust in state and local officials. Among those who are not confident in the accuracy of the election, a majority, 60%, trust state officials more, while, among those who are confident in the election accuracy, 79% trust state officials more than federal.
The SAVE America act, which is pending before the Senate, among other things would require proof of citizenship to register to vote and has been strongly supported by the president. There is considerable suspicion of non-citizen voting among the public. Seventeen percent say non-citizens often vote, and 30% say this happens sometimes. A small majority, 53%, say this never or hardly ever happens. The belief that non-citizens commonly vote is strongly related to partisanship, with a large majority of Republicans saying that this happens at least sometimes and 53% of independents agreeing. A large majority of Democrats say non-citizens never or hardly ever vote. The full relationship is shown in Table 13.
Table 13: Non-citizen voting, by party identification
Among adults
| Party ID | Non-citizen voting | ||
| Never/Hardly ever | Sometimes | Often | |
| Republican | 25 | 43 | 32 |
| Independent | 44 | 38 | 15 |
| Democrat | 85 | 13 | 2 |
| Marquette Law School Poll, national survey Apr. 8-16, 2026 | |||
| Question: In your state, how often do you think non-citizens illegally vote? | |||
Those who believe that non-citizens vote sometimes or often give extremely large estimates of how many non-citizens vote in elections in their state. Forty-four percent of those who think non-citizens vote sometimes or often believe that more than 10,000 votes are cast by non-citizens in their state, and among those who think non-citizens often vote, 41% believe this exceeds 100,000 votes in their state.
The requirement to prove citizenship in order to register or re-register to vote has been adopted in several states and would become a national requirement under the SAVE America act. Proof of citizenship typically requires a passport, birth certificate, or proof of naturalization. In this survey, 85% say they have either a passport or a birth certificate in their possession, and 7% possess a naturalization certificate. Eight percent say they do not have a passport and do not have a birth certificate in their possession and would have to get a copy from the state where they were born in order to register. Among those who say they are not registered to vote, 14% lack a passport or birth certificate in their possession.
A potential complication for those relying on a birth certificate to register is a name that has legally changed since birth, thus requiring additional proof of identity. Among women who are currently or have been married, 59% have changed their names from what appears on their birth certificate. Among men who have ever been married, 96% have not changed their name.
The public is evenly divided on how easy absentee voting by mail should be. Fifty-two percent say it should be easy for everyone to do, while 48% say it should be limited to those physically unable to vote in person or who are travelling out-of-town on election day. There are sharp partisan differences, with 76% of Republicans saying absentee voting by mail should be limited, while 83% of Democrats say it should be easy for all. Independents are evenly divided, with 47% saying it should be easy for all and 51% saying it should be limited.
Twenty-eight percent say they have voted by mail in half or more of recent elections, while 17% have done so once or twice and 46% have never voted absentee by mail. An additional 9% say they haven’t voted or aren’t registered.
Among those who have voted most often by mail, 73% say it should be easy for everyone to do so, as do 60% of those who have voted by mail once or twice. For those who have never voted by mail, 63% say mail voting should be limited to those physically unable to vote in person or who are travelling.
About the Marquette Law School Poll
The survey was conducted April 8-16, 2026, interviewing 982 adults nationwide, with a margin of error of +/-3.4 percentage points. For registered voters the sample size is 870, with a margin of error of +/-3.6. For likely voters the sample size is 576 with a margin of error of +/-4.4 percentage points.
Interviews were conducted using the SSRS Opinion Panel, a national probability sample with interviews conducted online. Certain other data from this survey (focusing on those about public views of the Supreme Court) are held for release on April 23. The detailed methodology statement, survey instrument, topline results, and crosstabs for this release are available on the Marquette Law Poll website.
