The 19th|SurveyMonkey poll: How Americans view Trump, inflation, and social issues

According to a new poll conducted September 8-15, 2025 by The 19th News and SurveyMonkey, Trump approval sits at 43%. Approval is much lower among women (35%) vs. men (52%), and that gap is largest among Gen Z (26% of Gen Z women approve vs. 47% of men). 

Trump voters overwhelmingly approve of the president (93% vs. only 3% of Harris voters) Favorability ratings for JD Vance mirror Trump approval, with 43% favorable overall.

Americans are focused on inflation and cost of living, with one-third (32%) citing it as the most important issue right now. Another 12% cite jobs, unemployment, and wages, with fewer citing health care (10%), immigration (9%), and crime (8%). Gen Z Hispanic women are the only subgroup whose top priority is not inflation—it’s immigration (31%). For Gen Z Hispanic men, immigration (19%) is tied with inflation (19%) and jobs (19%).

Many Americans are worried about their ability to pay the bills—66% are worried about paying medical bills, 65% are worried about paying for groceries, and 64% are worried about paying for housing. Seven in ten (71%) are worried about paying for retirement, and one-third (33%) are worried about paying for child care (49% among parents of children under 18).

Nearly two-thirds (62%) of Americans think abortion should be legal in all (28%) or most (33%) cases. A higher percentage of women (67%) than men (55%) think abortion should be legal. Opinions on abortion are split along party lines, with 89% of Democrats supporting legal abortion compared with 34% of Republicans. While Republican women (38%) are more supportive of abortion vs. Republican men (31%), there is no gender gap among Democrats (89% of Democrat women and 88% of Democrat men).

Nearly half (46%) of Americans think that abortion laws in their state strike the right balance, while 29% think they are too restrictive and 19% think they are too lenient. Those in the South (42%) and Midwest (32%) are more likely to say that laws are too restrictive than those in the Northeast (15%) or West (17%). 

About half of Americans think that elected officials should take steps to protect access to IVF (48%), hormonal birth control (49%), and emergency contraception (46%), while most of the rest think the government should not regulate IVF (36%), hormonal birth control (39%), or emergency contraception (35%). A smaller percentage think that the government should restrict use (10% for IVF, 6% for hormonal birth control, and 13% for emergency contraception).

Half (53%) of Americans favor the right of transgender adults to access gender-affirming care. Gen Z are more likely to support gender-affirming care for adults (61% vs. 52% of Millennials, 47% of Gen X, and 53% of Boomers). Those who know someone who is transgender are more likely to support gender-affirming care for adults (64% vs. 43% of those who don’t know anyone who is transgender).

Despite 48% of Americans saying they are in favor of lawmakers banning or restricting care for transgender minors, only 30% believe that politicians are informed enough about gender-affirming care for minors to make fair policy. And four in ten (40%) would prefer that politicians not focus on transgender issues at all, while about a quarter (29%) say politicians should focus on protecting transgender individuals and another quarter (25%) think politicians should focus on restricting access to gender-affirming care.

Only one-third of Americans (35%) support the Trump administration’s efforts to dismantle the Department of Education. Men (45%) are more supportive than women (26%). Parents of children under 18 are more supportive than non-parents (40% vs. 28%), largely driven by men who are parents (51% of men who are parents support Trump’s efforts vs. 29% of women who are parents).

About half of Americans (53%) think we should be worried about the impact of falling birth rates in the US. Men (58%) are more worried than women (48%); this pattern carries across all generations. Six in ten men (59%) and four in ten women (43%) believe that society would benefit from a return to traditional gender roles. 

Despite the worries about falling birth rates, only 31% of Americans believe that society would be better off if young people prioritized having families before professional accomplishments or other goals.

Nearly two-thirds of Americans (63%) believe that families are better off when one parent stays home with the children. While 66% of them say that whichever parent wants to stay home should be the one to stay home, 22% think the mother, or birthing parent, should stay home. 

Overall, 52% of Americans support ending the 14th amendment’s provision that anyone born in the US automatically qualifies for citizenship, while 46% of Americans oppose ending the policy. Men are slightly more supportive of ending it, compared with women (54% vs. 51%). Black Americans (61%) and Asian or Pacific Islander Americans (58%) are most likely to support the repeal, above Hispanic (52%) and white Americans (50%).

Americans are split on whether the current administration is doing too much to deport immigrants who are living in the US illegally: 50% say the current administration is “doing too much,” 31% believe it is “doing the right amount,” and 16% think it is “not doing enough.” 

Americans are generally opposed to detainments in most settings, except for private homes. More believe immigration officials should be restricted, rather than allowed, from conducting detainments at workplaces, domestic violence shelters, schools, hospitals, and religious institutions. Detainment in homes is the sole scenario where support outweighs opposition.

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