Marquette University

12/18/2024 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 12/18/2024 00:01

New Marquette Law School Poll national survey finds Trump approval at recent high and Biden approval at all-time low; policy issues also surveyed

New Marquette Law School Poll national survey finds Trump approval at recent high and Biden approval at all-time low; policy issues also surveyed

Dec. 18, 2024

Also:

  • Views of the economy improve, though personal finances are unchanged
  • Public split on Trump cabinet appointments, while a large majority think Senate should take time to hold hearings
  • Majority is concerned that tariffs will hurt the economy and divided on whether Trump policies will increase inflation
  • More than three-quarters favor requiring transgender athletes to play on teams that match the sex they were assigned at birth

Please note: Complete Poll results and methodology information can be found online at law.marquette.edu/poll

MILWAUKEE - A new Marquette Law School Poll national survey finds 53% of adults nationwide say they approve of the way President-elect Donald Trump handled his job when he was president from 2017 to 2021, an increase from 50% who approved in October. Forty-seven percent say they disapprove, down from 50% in October. This is Trump's highest approval rating since March, when this question of retrospective approval was first asked in the Marquette Law School Poll's national surveys.

President Joe Biden's approval declined in December to 34%, down from 38% in October, with disapproval in December standing at 66%, an increase from 62% in October.

The survey was conducted Dec. 2-11, 2024, interviewing 1,063 adults nationwide, with a margin of error of +/-3.6 percentage points. (All results in the tables are stated as percentages.)

Approval of Trump and of Biden is shown in Table 1.

Table 1: Approval of President and President-Elect

Among adults

Name

Approval

Net

Approve

Disapprove

Joe Biden

-32

34

66

Donald Trump

6

53

47

Marquette Law School Poll, national survey, Dec. 2-11, 2024

Question: Overall, how much do you approve or disapprove of the way Joe Biden is handling his job as president?

Question: Overall, how much do you approve or disapprove of the way Donald Trump handled his job when he was president?

Approval of Trump cabinet appointments

Approval of Trump's handling of cabinet appointments is slightly less than his overall approval. For his cabinet appointments, 49% approve and 51% disapprove, shown in Table 2.

Table 2: Approval of Trump handling of cabinet appointments

Among national adults

Poll dates

Approval

Net

Approve

Disapprove

12/2-11/24

-2

49

51

Marquette Law School Poll, national survey, Dec. 2-11, 2024

Question: Overall, how much do you approve or disapprove of the way President-elect Donald Trump is handling cabinet appointments for his administration?

Those who say they have heard a lot about his cabinet choices approve slightly less at 47%, while 51% of those who have heard a little approve and 52% of those who have heard nothing at all approve.

The majority of the public (73%) think the Senate should take time to hold hearings on Trump's nominees, while 27% say the Senate should quickly approve all of Trump's choices. A slight majority (52%) of Republicans say the Senate should take time for hearings, while large majorities of independents (84%) and Democrats (93%) say this.

Strong disapproval of Hunter Biden pardon

Biden's pardon of his son Hunter Biden is very unpopular, with 29% who approve and 71% who disapprove, as shown in Table 3. Only a slim majority (53%) of Democrats approve of the pardon, while large majorities of independents (77%) and Republicans (92%) disapprove.

Table 3: Approval of Hunter Biden pardon

Among national adults

Poll dates

Approval

Net

Approve

Disapprove

12/2-11/24

-42

29

71

Marquette Law School Poll, national survey, Dec. 2-11, 2024

Question: How much do you approve or disapprove of President Joe Biden's decision to pardon his son, Hunter Biden, who was convicted of federal charges for illegally buying a gun and who pleaded guilty to tax evasion.

Trump approval trend

The trend in approval of how Trump handled his job when he was president is shown in Table 4. There has been an increase in approval since May, with December showing a positive net approval for the first time in this period.

Table 4: Trump Approval trend

Among adults

Poll dates

Approval

Net

Approve

Disapprove

12/2-11/24

6

53

47

10/1-10/24

0

50

50

7/24-8/1/24

-2

49

51

5/6-15/24

-6

47

53

3/18-28/24

-2

49

51

Marquette Law School Poll, national surveys, latest: Dec. 2-11, 2024

Question: Overall, how much do you approve or disapprove of the way Donald Trump handled his job when he was president?

Biden approval trend

Biden's job approval has fallen in December after a lengthy period of net negative-but stable-approval. Table 5 shows his full job approval ratings since taking office in Marquette Law School Poll surveys. His approval rating has been below 40% in all polls since September 2023.

Table 5: Biden approval trend

Among adults

Poll dates

Approval

Net

Approve

Disapprove

12/2-11/24

-32

34

66

10/1-10/24

-24

38

62

7/24-8/1/24

-30

35

65

5/6-15/24

-22

39

61

3/18-28/24

-26

37

63

2/5-15/24

-26

37

63

11/2-7/23

-26

37

63

9/18-25/23

-22

39

61

7/7-12/23

-15

42

57

5/8-18/23

-22

39

61

3/13-22/23

-22

39

61

1/9-20/23

-13

43

56

11/15-22/22

-10

45

55

9/7-14/22

-10

45

55

7/5-12/22

-28

36

64

5/9-19/22

-15

42

57

3/14-24/22

-11

44

55

1/10-21/22

-7

46

53

11/1-10/21

-2

49

51

9/7-16/21

-4

48

52

7/16-26/21

16

58

42

Marquette Law School Poll, national surveys, latest: Dec. 2-11, 2024

Question: Overall, how much do you approve or disapprove of the way Joe Biden is handling his job as president?

Favorability

Trump's favorable rating stands at its highest, at 49%, since a low point in November 2021; 50% are unfavorable. In October, 44% were favorable to Trump and 55% were unfavorable. In the November 2021 poll, his favorability was just 32% with 65% unfavorable.

Biden is seen favorably by 37% in December and unfavorably by 62%.

Vice President Kamala Harris has a favorable rating of 41% and an unfavorable rating of 57%. This is a decline from October when 46% were favorable and 51% were unfavorable.

Vice President-elect J.D. Vance is seen favorably by 35% and unfavorably by 47%. In October, his favorable rating was 30% and his unfavorable rating was 45%.

Favorability for each of these is shown in Table 6.

Table 6: Favorability to President and Vice President

Among adults

Name

Favorability

Net

Favorable

Unfavorable

Haven't heard enough

Joe Biden

-25

37

62

1

Kamala Harris

-16

41

57

3

Donald Trump

-1

49

50

1

J.D. Vance

-12

35

47

18

Marquette Law School Poll, national survey, Dec. 2-11, 2024

Question: Do you have a favorable or an unfavorable opinion of the following people or haven't you heard enough yet to have an opinion?

Trump favorability trend

Trump's long term favorability trend is shown in Table 7. His net favorability has climbed from a low of -35 points in January 2022 to the current -1, his best in Marquette national polling.

Table 7: Trump favorability trend

Among adults

Poll dates

Favorability

Net

Favorable

Unfavorable

Haven't heard enough

12/2-11/24

-1

49

50

1

10/1-10/24

-11

44

55

1

7/24-8/1/24

-6

46

52

2

5/6-15/24

-16

41

57

2

3/18-28/24

-10

44

54

2

2/5-15/24

-10

44

54

2

11/2-7/23

-14

42

56

2

9/18-25/23

-14

42

56

2

7/7-12/23

-28

35

63

2

5/8-18/23

-23

37

60

3

3/13-22/23

-27

35

62

3

1/9-20/23

-29

34

63

3

11/15-22/22

-34

32

66

2

9/7-14/22

-30

34

64

2

7/5-12/22

-28

34

62

4

5/9-19/22

-26

35

61

3

3/14-24/22

-25

36

61

3

1/10-21/22

-35

32

67

1

11/1-10/21

-33

32

65

3

Marquette Law School Poll, national surveys, latest: Dec. 2-11, 2024

Question: Do you have a favorable or an unfavorable opinion of the following people or haven't you heard enough yet to have an opinion?

Biden favorability trend

Biden's long-term favorability trend is shown in Table 8. Biden's net favorability has fallen from a slightly negative -4 in November 2021 to his current -25, his worst rating in Marquette polls.

Table 8: Biden favorability trend

Among adults

Poll dates

Favorability

Net

Favorable

Unfavorable

Haven't heard enough

12/2-11/24

-25

37

62

1

10/1-10/24

-19

39

58

3

7/24-8/1/24

-22

38

60

2

5/6-15/24

-18

40

58

2

3/18-28/24

-22

38

60

2

2/5-15/24

-22

38

60

2

11/2-7/23

-23

37

60

2

9/18-25/23

-20

39

59

2

7/7-12/23

-14

42

56

2

5/8-18/23

-22

36

58

5

3/13-22/23

-22

37

59

4

1/9-20/23

-13

41

54

4

11/15-22/22

-10

43

53

3

9/7-14/22

-11

43

54

3

7/5-12/22

-28

34

62

4

5/9-19/22

-15

40

55

4

3/14-24/22

-9

44

53

3

1/10-21/22

-6

45

51

4

11/1-10/21

-4

45

49

6

Marquette Law School Poll, national surveys, latest: Dec. 2-11, 2024

Question: Do you have a favorable or an unfavorable opinion of the following people or haven't you heard enough yet to have an opinion?

Harris favorability trend

Harris's long-term favorability trend is shown in Table 9. Since losing the presidential election, her net favorability has declined from her all-time highs of July and October, though not falling to the levels of the winter and spring before she became the Democratic nominee.

Table 9: Harris favorability trend

Among adults

Poll dates

Favorability

Net

Favorable

Unfavorable

Haven't heard enough

12/2-11/24

-16

41

57

3

10/1-10/24

-5

46

51

3

7/24-8/1/24

-5

45

50

5

5/6-15/24

-23

33

56

11

3/18-28/24

-24

33

57

9

2/5-15/24

-18

35

53

11

11/2-7/23

-26

32

58

10

9/18-25/23

-17

36

53

11

7/7-12/23

-21

34

55

11

5/8-18/23

-25

31

56

13

3/13-22/23

-23

31

54

16

1/9-20/23

-22

32

54

13

11/15-22/22

-16

34

50

16

9/7-14/22

-16

36

52

13

1/10-21/22

-12

37

49

14

11/1-10/21

-8

38

46

16

Marquette Law School Poll, national surveys, latest: Dec. 2-11, 2024

Question: Do you have a favorable or an unfavorable opinion of the following people or haven't you heard enough yet to have an opinion?

Vance favorability trend

Limited polling on Vance shows his net favorability has increased, although it remains net negative. Those who say they haven't heard enough about him has declined since he became the Republican nominee for vice president. The trend is shown in Table 10.

Table 10: Vance favorability trend

Among adults

Poll dates

Favorability

Net

Favorable

Unfavorable

Haven't heard enough

12/2-11/24

-12

35

47

18

10/1-10/24

-15

30

45

25

7/24-8/1/24

-16

27

43

30

Marquette Law School Poll, national surveys, latest: Dec. 2-11, 2024

Question: Do you have a favorable or an unfavorable opinion of the following people or haven't you heard enough yet to have an opinion?

Favorability to cabinet nominees

Trump's nominees for cabinet positions are not well known, compared to how well-known presidents or vice presidents are.

  • Marco Rubio, the nominee for secretary of state, has a net positive favorability rating and is the second best known, with 39% holding a favorable opinion, 36% holding an unfavorable opinion, and 25% saying they don't know enough to have an opinion of him.
  • Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the nominee to lead Health and Human Services, is the best known of the cabinet picks, with 11% not having heard enough about him. His net favorability is at zero, with equal favorable and unfavorable ratings of 44%.
  • Pete Hegseth, the nominee for defense secretary, has the largest net negative rating of -10, with 27% favorable, 37% unfavorable, and 37% saying they haven't heard enough about him.
  • Pam Bondi, nominated for attorney general after former Rep. Matt Gaetz withdrew from the nomination, is the least well known of the four, with 41% saying they haven't heard enough about her. Her net favorability rating is only slightly negative at -3, with 28% favorable and 31% unfavorable.

The full results are shown in Table 11.

Table 11: Favorability to cabinet nominees

Among adults

Name

Favorability

Net

Favorable

Unfavorable

Haven't heard enough

Marco Rubio

3

39

36

25

Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.

0

44

44

11

Pete Hegseth

-10

27

37

37

Pam Bondi

-3

28

31

41

Marquette Law School Poll, national survey, Dec. 2-11, 2024

Question: Here are some people President-elect Trump has picked for cabinet positions in his new administration. Do you have a favorable or an unfavorable opinion of the following people or haven't you heard enough yet to have an opinion?

Question: Marco Rubio for Secretary of State

Question: Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. for Secretary of Health and Human Services

Question: Pete Hegseth for Secretary of Defense

Question: Pam Bondi for Attorney General

State of the economy and family finances

While the public generally sees the economy in negative terms, the most negative views of the economy decreased in December. In this survey, 21% say the economy is poor, which is a 10-point decrease from 31% in October. This is the smallest percentage calling the economy poor in Marquette Law School Poll national surveys since September 2023.

Those seeing the economy as excellent or good increased to 29%, and those saying it is not so good rose to 50%. The full trend is shown in Table 12.

Table 12: Views of the national economy

Among adults

Poll dates

National economy

Excellent

Good

Not so good

Poor

12/2-11/24

4

25

50

21

10/1-10/24

3

21

45

31

7/24-8/1/24

3

27

35

35

5/6-15/24

3

26

40

31

3/18-28/24

4

27

39

30

2/5-15/24

5

27

41

26

11/2-7/23

2

22

42

33

9/18-25/23

3

18

47

32

Marquette Law School Poll, national surveys, latest: Dec. 2-11, 2024

Question: How would you describe the state of the nation's economy these days?

Economic conditions by party identification

The decrease in perceptions of the economy as poor was seen across each partisan category, with the number of Republicans falling 12 points (from 44% to 32%), independents dropping 19 points (44% to 25%), and Democrats declining by 7 points (15% to 8%).

Very few Republicans (11%) or independents (20%) see the economy as excellent or good, although 51% of Democrats see that, as shown in Table 13.

Table 13: Views of the national economy, by party identification

Among adults

Poll dates

National economy

Excellent/good

Not so good

Poor

Republican

12/2-11/24

11

57

32

10/1-10/24

8

47

44

7/24-8/1/24

12

38

49

5/6-15/24

10

40

49

3/18-28/24

14

45

41

2/5-15/24

15

46

39

11/2-7/23

9

40

52

9/18-25/23

6

43

51

Independent

12/2-11/24

20

55

25

10/1-10/24

18

38

44

7/24-8/1/24

23

29

48

5/6-15/24

19

51

30

3/18-28/24

18

45

37

2/5-15/24

18

45

37

11/2-7/23

11

51

38

9/18-25/23

8

57

35

Democrat

12/2-11/24

51

41

8

10/1-10/24

41

44

15

7/24-8/1/24

49

32

18

5/6-15/24

49

37

14

3/18-28/24

53

32

15

2/5-15/24

55

35

9

11/2-7/23

44

42

14

9/18-25/23

38

48

14

Marquette Law School Poll, national surveys, latest: Dec. 2-11, 2024

Question: How would you describe the state of the nation's economy these days?

Family financial situation

While views of the economy improved, people's family financial situation barely changed in December. The percentage who said they are struggling declined 3 points from October to 20%, while those saying they are just getting by increased by 1 point to 44%. The percent living comfortably also rose 1 point to 35%. There have not been substantial changes in family finances since September 2023, as shown in Table 14.

Table 14: Family financial situation

Among adults

Poll dates

Financial situation

Living comfortably

Just getting by

Struggling

12/2-11/24

35

44

20

10/1-10/24

34

43

23

7/24-8/1/24

36

41

23

5/6-15/24

36

43

21

3/18-28/24

39

43

18

2/5-15/24

37

42

21

11/2-7/23

35

44

21

9/18-25/23

35

47

19

Marquette Law School Poll, national surveys, latest: Dec. 2-11, 2024

Question: Thinking about your family's financial situation, would you say you are living comfortably, just getting by, or struggling to make ends meet?

Financial situation by party identification

Democrats feel the best about their finances, with 47% living comfortably and 13% struggling. Among Republicans, 30% are comfortable and 25% are struggling. Independents are in the worst financial shape, with 16% living comfortably and 29% struggling. The full results and trends are in Table 15.

Table 15: Family financial situation, by party identification

Among adults

Poll dates

Financial situation

Living comfortably

Just getting by

Struggling

Republican

12/2-11/24

30

45

25

10/1-10/24

33

42

25

7/24-8/1/24

34

41

26

5/6-15/24

29

45

26

3/18-28/24

36

47

16

2/5-15/24

33

45

22

11/2-7/23

33

46

21

9/18-25/23

35

44

21

Independent

12/2-11/24

16

55

29

10/1-10/24

17

57

26

7/24-8/1/24

25

38

37

5/6-15/24

23

45

32

3/18-28/24

20

51

29

2/5-15/24

22

43

36

11/2-7/23

16

45

38

9/18-25/23

27

45

28

Democrat

12/2-11/24

47

40

13

10/1-10/24

39

41

20

7/24-8/1/24

41

42

17

5/6-15/24

46

40

13

3/18-28/24

48

36

15

2/5-15/24

47

40

13

11/2-7/23

43

41

17

9/18-25/23

36

50

13

Marquette Law School Poll, national surveys, latest: Dec. 2-11, 2024

Question: Thinking about your family's financial situation, would you say you are living comfortably, just getting by, or struggling to make ends meet?

Tariffs

The public is skeptical that tariffs will help the economy, with 26% saying they will help the economy and 46% saying they will hurt the economy. An additional 13% say tariffs won't make much difference, and 15% say they don't know.

Republicans are much more confident that tariffs will help the economy (49%) than are independents (17%) or Democrats (5%). The full table is shown in Table 16.

Table 16: Tariffs' effect on the economy, by party identification

Among adults

Party ID

Effect of tariffs

Helps U.S. economy

Hurts U.S. economy

Doesn't make much difference

Don't know

Republican

49

19

15

18

Independent

17

43

23

17

Democrat

5

77

7

10

Marquette Law School Poll, national survey, Dec. 2-11, 2024

Question: In general, do you think imposing tariffs or fees on products imported from other countries helps the U.S. economy, hurts the economy, or doesn't make much of a difference either way?

The public is more evenly divided as to whether Trump's policies will decrease inflation (41%), increase inflation (45%), or have no effect (14%).

A large majority (76%) of Republicans expect Trump's policies to lower inflation, while 28% of independents expect inflation to fall due to Trump's policies, along with only 8% of Democrats. The full table is shown in Table 17.

Table 17: Trump policies' effect on inflation, by party identification

Among adults

Party ID

Effect of policy

Decrease inflation

Increase inflation

Have no effect on inflation

Republican

76

11

14

Independent

28

43

28

Democrat

8

82

10

Marquette Law School Poll, national survey, Dec. 2-11, 2024

Question: Do you think Trump's policy proposals will decrease inflation, increase inflation, or have no effect on inflation?

Immigration policy

The details of public opinion on immigrants who are in the United States illegally depend a great deal on how the question is framed. In the Marquette Law School Poll national surveys, the issue has been asked three different ways.

In March, October and December, one question, mentioning employment, was worded as follows:

Which comes closest to your view about undocumented immigrants who are currently working in the U.S.? - They should be allowed to stay in their jobs and to eventually apply for U.S. citizenship - They should be allowed to stay in their jobs only as temporary guest workers but not to apply for U.S. citizenship - They should be required to leave their jobs and leave the U.S.

In the current poll, 45% favor the policy of undocumented immigrants staying in jobs and eventually applying for citizenship, with 22% saying they should stay only as guest workers but not be able to apply for citizenship and 33% saying they should leave their jobs and the country. These results closely match opinion in March, while the October survey found a modest increase in support for a path to citizenship, as shown in Table 18.

Table 18: Undocumented immigrants currently in U.S.

Among national adults

Poll dates

Policy preference

They should be allowed to stay in their jobs and to eventually apply for U.S. citizenship

They should be allowed to stay in their jobs only as temporary guest workers but not to apply for U.S. citizenship

They should be required to leave their jobs and leave the U.S.

12/2-11/24

45

22

33

10/1-10/24

53

19

29

3/18-28/24

45

23

32

Marquette Law School Poll, national surveys, latest: Dec. 2-11, 2024

Question: Which comes closest to your view about undocumented immigrants who are currently working in the U.S.?

Support for deporting immigrants who are in the U.S. illegally-a differently phrased question, without mention of employment or length of residence-has been substantial throughout the year but had trended downward from February to October before rebounding to earlier levels in December.

Do you favor or oppose deporting immigrants who are living in the United States illegally back to their home countries?

With this wording, 64% favor deportation and 36% are opposed. When first asked in February, 65% favored deportations and 35% were opposed. The full trend is shown in Table 19.

Table 19: Deport immigrants illegally in U.S.

Among national adults

Poll dates

Favor or oppose

Favor

Oppose

12/2-11/24

64

36

10/1-10/24

55

45

7/24-8/1/24

61

39

5/6-15/24

62

38

3/18-28/24

60

40

2/5-15/24

65

35

Marquette Law School Poll, national surveys, latest: Dec. 2-11, 2024

Question: Do you favor or oppose deporting immigrants who are living in the United States illegally back to their home countries?

Another alternative question wording includes mention of those who have lengthy residency, jobs, and no criminal record:

Do you favor or oppose deporting immigrants who are living in the United States illegally back to their home countries even if they have lived here for a number of years, have jobs, and no criminal record?

When worded this way, 42% favor deportations and 58% are opposed. Mention of residence, jobs, and no criminal record reduces support for deportations by around 20 percentage points when compared to the wording without additional description. The trend for this question, asked since May, is shown in Table 20. Here too, support for deportations has declined over time this year, only to rebound in December.

Table 20: Deport immigrants illegally in U.S., including long-time residents with jobs etc.

Among national adults

Poll dates

Favor or oppose

Favor

Oppose

12/2-11/24

42

58

10/1-10/24

38

62

7/24-8/1/24

43

57

5/6-15/24

44

56

Marquette Law School Poll, national surveys, latest: Dec. 2-11, 2024

Question: Do you favor or oppose deporting immigrants who are living in the United States illegally back to their home countries even if they have lived here for a number of years, have jobs and no criminal record??

Policy preferences, including on transgender issues

Opinions about several policy proposals are shown in Table 21.

  • The highest support, 76%, is for requiring transgender athletes to play on teams that match the sex they were assigned at birth.
  • Support for increasing oil and gas production in the U.S. is nearly as high, at 74%.
  • More than two-thirds, 68%, favor allowing parents to make medical decisions about their minor children, including whether or not to vaccinate them against measles, polio, and other disease.
  • Sixty-one percent favor banning "gender-affirming" care such as hormone therapy or surgery for transgender minors under 18.
  • Tax cuts are favored by 60%, even if the federal deficit would increase.
  • A slight majority, 52%, oppose a national ban on abortion after 15 weeks of pregnancy.

Table 21: Favor or oppose these policies

Among national adults

Policy

Favor or oppose

Favor

Oppose

Require that transgender athletes compete on teams that match the sex they were assigned at birth, not the gender they identify with

76

24

Increase production of oil and gas in the U.S.

74

26

Allow parents to make medical decisions for their minor children under 18, including whether or not to vaccinate their children against measles, polio, and other diseases

68

32

Ban "gender-affirming" care such as hormone therapy or surgery for transgender minors under 18

61

39

Cut taxes even if the federal deficit increases

60

40

Pass a national law banning abortion after 15 weeks of pregnancy

48

52

Marquette Law School Poll, national survey: Dec. 2-11, 2024

Question: Which of the following proposals would you favor and which would you oppose?

Foreign affairs

A majority of adults (60%) say it will be better for the U.S. to play an active part in world affairs, while 40% say the country should stay out of world affairs. In November 2022, opinion was supportive of U.S. involvement, by the same margin, though that view declined during 2023 and 2024. In October 2024, 54% favored an active role and 46% said the U.S. should stay out of world affairs. The full trend in opinion is shown in Table 22.

Table 22: U.S. role in world affairs

Among national adults

Poll dates

U.S. Role

Take an active part in world affairs

Stay out of world affairs

12/2-11/24

60

40

10/1-10/24

54

46

5/6-15/24

54

46

3/18-28/24

56

44

2/5-15/24

54

46

11/2-7/23

52

48

9/18-25/23

58

42

7/7-12/23

53

47

5/8-18/23

55

45

3/13-22/23

55

45

1/9-20/23

59

41

11/15-22/22

60

40

Marquette Law School Poll, national surveys, latest: Dec. 2-11, 2024

Question: Do you think it will be better for the future of the country if we take an active part in world affairs, or if we stay out of world affairs?

Republicans are evenly divided on the U.S. role in the world, with 51% saying the U.S. should be active in world affairs and 49% saying it should stay out. A small majority of independents (54%) say the U.S. should stay out of world affairs, while 46% say the U.S. should play an active part. Democrats are much more supportive of U.S. engagement in the world, with 74% favoring an active part while 26% say the U.S. should stay out. These results are shown in Table 23.

Table 23: U.S. role in world affairs, by party identification

Among adults

Party ID

U.S. Role

Take an active part in world affairs

Stay out of world affairs

Republican

51

49

Independent

46

54

Democrat

74

26

Marquette Law School Poll, national survey, Dec. 2-11, 2024

Question: Do you think it will be better for the future of the country if we take an active part in world affairs, or if we stay out of world affairs?

The percentage saying the U.S. is giving too much support to Ukraine has increased to 42%, up from 32% when first asked in November 2022. Currently, 25% say the U.S. is providing too little support and 34% say it is the right amount of support. The full trend is shown in Table 24.

Table 24: U.S. aid to Ukraine

Among national adults

Poll dates

Aid to Ukraine

Too much support

Not enough support

About the right amount of support

12/2-11/24

42

25

34

10/1-10/24

38

22

40

5/6-15/24

39

25

36

3/18-28/24

36

31

33

2/5-15/24

38

25

37

11/2-7/23

38

21

40

9/18-25/23

37

22

41

7/7-12/23

34

22

44

5/8-18/23

34

23

43

3/13-22/23

34

24

41

1/9-20/23

29

24

46

11/15-22/22

32

23

45

Marquette Law School Poll, national surveys, latest: Dec. 2-11, 2024

Question: When it comes to Russia's invasion of Ukraine, do you think the United States is providing too much support to Ukraine, not enough support to Ukraine, or about the right amount of support to Ukraine?

A majority of Republicans (62%) say the U.S. is giving too much aid to Ukraine, while half of independents say the same and only 17% of Democrats say there is too much aid to Ukraine. The full results are shown in Table 25. In November 2022, 48% of Republicans and 36% of independents said the U.S. was giving too much support, as did 17% of Democrats.

Table 25: U.S. aid to Ukraine, by party identification

Among adults

Party ID

Aid to Ukraine

Too much support

Not enough support

About the right amount of support

Republican

62

12

26

Independent

50

20

30

Democrat

17

39

43

Marquette Law School Poll, national survey, Dec. 2-11, 2024

Question: When it comes to Russia's invasion of Ukraine, do you think the United States is providing too much support to Ukraine, not enough support to Ukraine, or about the right amount of support to Ukraine?

The percentage of adults who think what happens in Ukraine matters a great deal to life in the U.S. has fallen to 25% from 39% in November 2022. The trend is shown in Table 26.

Table 26: Ukraine outcome matters to life in U.S.

Among national adults

Poll dates

Ukraine outcome matters

A great deal

Some

Not much

Not at all

12/2-11/24

25

49

20

7

1/9-20/23

31

47

16

7

11/15-22/22

39

42

14

5

Marquette Law School Poll, national surveys, latest: Dec. 2-11, 2024

Question: How much do you think what happens in the Russia-Ukraine conflict matters to life in the United States?

In the case of Israel's war with Hamas in Gaza, 40% say the U.S. is giving too much support to Israel, 24% say the U.S. is providing too little support, and 36% say it is the right amount of support. Opinion has been fairly stable throughout 2024. The full trend is shown in Table 27.

Table 27: U.S. aid to Israel

Among national adults

Poll dates

Aid to Israel

Too much support

Not enough support

About the right amount of support

12/2-11/24

40

24

36

5/6-15/24

41

24

35

3/18-28/24

37

24

39

2/5-15/24

42

21

38

Marquette Law School Poll, national surveys, latest: Dec. 2-11, 2024

Question: When it comes to Israel's war with Hamas in Gaza, do you think the United States is providing too much support to Israel, not enough support to Israel, or about the right amount of support to Israel?

Half of Democrats (50%) say the U.S. is giving too much aid to Israel, as do half of independents, while only 28% of Republicans say the U.S. is giving too much aid to Israel. The full results are shown in Table 28.

Table 28: U.S. aid to Israel, by party identification

Among adults

Party ID

Aid to Israel

Too much support

Not enough support

About the right amount of support

Republican

28

35

37

Independent

50

16

33

Democrat

50

15

35

Marquette Law School Poll, national survey, Dec. 2-11, 2024

Question: When it comes to Israel's war with Hamas in Gaza, do you think the United States is providing too much support to Israel, not enough support to Israel, or about the right amount of support to Israel?

About the Marquette Law School Poll

The survey was conducted Dec. 2-11, 2024, interviewing 1,063 adults nationwide, with a margin of error of +/-3.6 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 Dec. 19. The detailed methodology statement, survey instrument, topline results, and crosstabs for this release are available at the Marquette Law School Poll website.

About Kevin Conway

Kevin is the associate director for university communication in the Office of University Relations. Contact Kevin at (414) 288-4745 or [email protected].