Executive Summary A new national University of Massachusetts Amherst Poll of 1,000 respondents conducted Aug. 21-26 finds broad disapproval of President Donald Trump’s handling of the Iran war and a further decline in the approval of his presidency.More than two-thirds of the survey’s 1,000 respondents disapprove of the way Trump has handled the war, and nearly as many now express disapproval in how he is handling his job overall. The president’s overall job approval has decreased by one percentage point since March, to 32%, with disapproval in his performance now reaching 64%. Press Release Trump Job Approval “With no end in sight to the ongoing war in Iran, the continued rise in the price of gas, groceries, utilities, and housing, an escalating trade war with Canada, and the likelihood of higher interest rates, it comes as no surprise that Trump’s approval rating remains at a paltry 32%, a 1-percentage-point drop since we last polled in March 2026,” says Tatishe Nteta, provost professor of political science at UMass Amherst and director of the poll. “With the midterm elections just two months away, the clock is ticking for President Trump and the Republican Party to offer solutions to the nation’s most pressing problems. A failure to do so will likely result not only in a continued decline in the President’s approval rating but could also put Republican control of the House of Representatives and possibly the U.S. Senate increasingly at risk.” Trump Issue Performance “Arguably, Trump’s unpopularity is largely a problem of his own making,” says Jesse Rhodes, professor of political science at UMass Amherst and co-director of the poll. “Huge majorities of Americans say that Trump is not handling the war in Iran (68%), inflation (75%) and jobs (63%) well. Of course, these issues are related—Trump’s choice to attack Iran, and subsequent mismanagement of the conflict, have contributed materially to inflation and the soft economy. Moreover, his decisions to take gifts from foreign nations and profit from various businesses while in office appear to have led many Americans to express concerns about corruption in his presidency, as fully two-thirds of Americans (67%) say he hasn’t handled corruption in government well. Although presidential approval predictably decays over time, Trump’s own decisions have likely made this problem worse than it would otherwise be.”“While a candidate for president in 2024, Trump consistently promised Americans that he, unlike Joe Biden, would tackle the nation’s affordability crisis head-on and begin lowering inflation on day one of his presidency,” Nteta says. “A little more than a year and a half into his presidency, however, Americans continue to experience rising costs for groceries, gas, utilities, health care, and housing, with inflation now higher than when Biden left office. Americans have taken note, giving Trump low marks for his handling of inflation, with a whopping 75% indicating that he has not handled inflation well during his time in office. If the 2026 midterm election becomes a referendum on the economy and the nation’s affordability crisis, the Republican Party could be facing a serious threat to its control of both houses of Congress.” 2024 Election Voter Regret “Presenting anecdotal evidence of Americans who regret casting their 2024 ballot for Trump has become something of a media cottage industry in the last two years,” Theodoridis says. “We have been tracking regret to see whether the numbers match the narrative. There are no takebacks in electoral politics, but around 15% of Trump voters now tell us they might or would vote differently or not vote at all if they had it to do over again. This is hardly a mass exodus from the Trump tent, but is enough that it certainly could’ve been decisive against Trump in what was a relatively close 2024 election. More notably, though, there are now clear, consistent signs of an erosion trend," says Alexander Theodoridis, associate professor of political science and co-director of the UMass Poll.  Approval of Military Actions Against Iran “Six months into the war with Iran, with reports of the nation’s military stockpiles dwindling, the Strait of Hormuz still under the control of the Iranian government, and the prospects for a peaceful settlement to the conflict diminishing, we find that a majority of Americans (54%) disapprove of U.S. military actions in Iran, while nearly 7 in 10 (68%) view President Donald Trump’s handling of the war negatively,” says Tatishe Nteta, provost professor of political science at UMass Amherst and director of the poll.“Americans are overwhelmingly negative about Trump on the Iran situation,” says Raymond La Raja, professor of political science at UMass Amherst and co-director of the poll. “Only 1 in 4 Americans thinks he is handling Iran well. The real divide is increasingly between Trump’s hardcore MAGA base and almost everyone else. Among Republicans who identify very strongly with MAGA, 87% approve of Trump’s handling of Iran. But that falls to 58% among Republicans who are ‘somewhat MAGA’ and just 30% among Republicans who say they are ‘not MAGA at all.’ The more loosely attached Republicans are to the MAGA identity, the more skeptical they are of the war.” Methodology Field Dates:                 August 21 –26, 2026Sample:                        1,000 RespondentsMargin of Error:         3.5%The respondents were matched to a sampling frame on gender, age, race, and education. The sampling frame was constructed by stratified sampling from the full 2023 American Community Survey (ACS) 1-year sample with selection within strata by weighted sampling with replacements (using the person weights on the public use file).The matched cases were weighted to the sampling frame using propensity scores. The matched cases and the frame were combined and a logistic regression was estimated for inclusion in the frame. The propensity score function included age, gender, race/ethnicity, years of education, region, and home ownership. The propensity scores were grouped into deciles of the estimated propensity score in the frame and post-stratified according to these deciles.The weights were then raked (iterative proportional fitting) on 2024 presidential vote choice and post-stratified using a four-way stratification of gender, age (4-categories), race (4-categories), and education (4-categories), to produce the final weight.Read more about the UMass Poll's methodologyRead more about the contributing members of the UMass Poll team Toplines View the toplines from the Aug 31, 2026 National Public Opinion Poll release regarding Trump's approval rating. Download Toplines This PDF contains the official toplines from this poll. Toplines are the raw question‑and‑answer results from the poll—showing exactly how people answered each question before any analysis or interpretation is added. President Donald Trump Approval (N=1,000)Do you approve or disapprove of the way each is doing their job? President Donald TrumpPresident Donald Trump Job Approval, August 2026, March 2026, and July 2025 (N=1,000; Unit: percent) Survey DateStrongly ApproveSomewhat ApproveSomewhat DisapproveStrongly DisapproveNot SureAug. 202614%18%10%54%3%Mar. 202616%17%9%53%6%Jul. 202521%17%9%49%4%Trump Issue Performance (N=1,000)How well would you say that President Trump has handled…How well has President Trump handled each issue? (N=1,000; Unit: percent) IssueVery WellSomewhat WellNot Too WellNot Well At AllDon’t KnowAug. 2026Mar. 2026Jul. 2025Aug. 2026Mar. 2026Jul. 2025Aug. 2026Mar. 2026Jul. 2025Aug. 2026Mar. 2026Jul. 2025Aug. 2026Mar. 2026Jul. 2025Inflation?7%9%14%15%15%17%18%17%16%57%54%47%4%5%5%Immigration?24%24%29%13%11%12%9%9%10%50%51%44%3%4%4%Jobs?11%11%18%20%19%19%15%14%13%48%47%42%7%8%8%Iran?/War with Iran?10%16%21%15%13%15%13%11%12%55%52%39%7%9%13%Working with allies in global affairs?11%N/AN/A19%N/AN/A12%N/AN/A52%N/AN/A7%N/AN/AArtificial Intelligence?5%7%N/A18%18%N/A14%14%N/A43%36%N/A20%24%N/ACorruption in government?10%N/AN/A16%N/AN/A11%N/AN/A56%N/AN/A7%N/AN/AExpectations of Trump's Performance by Party Affiliation (N=1,000)Compared to your expectations when Trump took office in January 2025, has Trump’s performance as president been better, worse, or about what you expected?Expectations of Trump’s performance compared to January 2025 expectations, by party affiliation (Unit: percent) ResponseAll Respondents (N=1,000)Republican Respondents (N=341)Democratic Respondents (N=440)Independent Respondents (N=219)Much better than I expected7%16%1%3%Somewhat better than I expected8%19%1%4%About what I expected28%38%19%27%Somewhat worse than I expected18%16%21%15%Much worse than I expected39%11%58%52%Feelings about 2024 presidential vote choice, by voter group and survey date (Regret)Only asked of respondents who indicated that they voted in the 2024 election.President Donald Trump has been in office for three/seven months. In light of his time in office, which of the following comes closest to how you feel about your choice for president in the 2024 presidential election? – April 2025 & July 2025Which of the following comes closest to how you feel about your choice for president in the 2024 presidential election? – March 2026 & August 2026Feelings about 2024 presidential vote choice, by voter group and survey date (Unit: percent) ResponseHarris VotersTrump VotersAug. 2026 (N=360)March 2026 (N=335)July 2025 (N=331)April 2025 (N=367)Aug. 2026 (N=263)March 2026 (N=303)July 2025 (N=327)April 2025 (N=364)I feel very confident that I made the right choice.82%81%78%78%58%62%69%74%I still feel confident about my vote, though I have some concerns.11%10%9%4%22%21%19%19%I have mixed feelings about my vote now.2%3%2%3%9%7%6%4%I have some regrets and might choose differently today.1%1%1%0%3%3%2%1%I regret my vote and would vote differently if I could.1%0%1%1%3%5%1%2%I would rather not have voted.2%6%9%14%6%2%3%1%Feelings about decision not to vote in 2024, by survey date (Regret Not Voting) (N=332)Only asked of respondents who indicated that they did not vote in the 2024 election.President Donald Trump has been in office for three months. In light of his time in office, which of the following comes closest to how you feel about your decision to not vote in the 2024 presidential election? – April 2025President Donald Trump has been in office for seven months. In light of his time in office, which of the following comes closest to how you feel about your decision to not vote in the 2024 presidential election? – July 2025Which of the following comes closest to how you feel about your decision to not vote in the 2024 presidential election? – March 2026 & August 2026Feelings about decision not to vote in 2024, by survey date (N=332; Unit: percent) ResponseAug. 2026March 2026July 2025April 2025I feel very confident that I made the right decision to not vote.37%47%40%49%I still feel confident about my decision to not vote, though I have some concerns.12%12%14%15%I have mixed feelings about my decision to not vote now.22%16%18%12%I regret my decision to not vote and would vote for Kamala Harris if I had to do it over again.13%13%15%12%I regret my decision to not vote and would vote for Donald Trump if I had to do it over again.6%5%7%7%I regret my decision to not vote and would vote for a candidate other than Kamala Harris or Donald Trump if I had to do it over again.9%7%6%4%Regret 3If you could go back and make your decision about the 2024 presidential election over again, how would you vote?If you could go back and make your decision about the 2024 presidential election over again, how would you vote? (Unit: percent) ResponseAug. 2026March 2026July 2025Harris Voters (N=360)Trump Voters (N=262)Non-Voters (N=361)Harris Voters (N=335)Trump Voters (N=303)Non-Voters (N=312)Harris Voters (N=311)Trump Voters (N=327)Non-Voters (N=324)I would vote for Donald Trump0%84%20%1%84%14%2%86%18%I would vote for Kamala Harris93%2%27%91%6%24%92%6%31%I would vote for a third party candidate5%7%14%6%4%11%3%5%9%I would not vote1%7%40%2%6%51%3%3%41%Iran Approval (N=1,000)Do you approve or disapprove of the recent U.S. military actions against Iran?Approval of recent U.S. military actions against Iran, August 2026 and March 2026 (N=1,000; Unit: percent) ResponseAug. 2026Mar. 2026Strongly approve15%16%Somewhat approve11%13%Neither Approve Nor Disapprove20%17%Somewhat disapprove13%12%Strongly disapprove41%42%Agreement with statements about the war with Iran (N=1,000)Agreement with statements about the war with Iran (N=1,000; Unit: percent) StatementStrongly AgreeSomewhat AgreeNeither Agree Nor DisagreeSomewhat DisagreeStrongly DisagreeThe United States should have gone to war with Iran.15%12%17%12%43%The United States is winning the war with Iran.11%14%28%11%36%Agreement with statements about attacking Iran (N=1,000)Please indicate your agreement or disagreement with the following statements.Attacking Iran…Agreement with statements about attacking Iran (N=1,000; Unit: percent) Attacking Iran…Strongly AgreeSomewhat AgreeNeither Agree Nor DisagreeSomewhat DisagreeStrongly Disagreeis putting America first.15%12%19%12%43%increased the cost of gas and groceries.58%22%12%3%4%has made the U.S. safer.11%12%21%16%41%will prevent Iran from developing a nuclear weapon in the future.15%16%22%17%31%will make the world more stable.13%13%20%14%40%was a mistake.43%12%17%12%15%has weakened the American military’s ability to respond to other conflicts around the world.32%23%22%12%10%Demographic Breakdown of the University of Massachusetts Amherst August 2026 National PollSample demographic breakdown (N=1,000; Unit: percent) CategoryGroupPercentageGenderMen49%Women51%Age18-2920%30-5441%>5539%EducationHS or less37%Some Coll.18%Coll. Deg.32%Postgrad13%Income<$40K36%$40K-$100K38%>$100K26%Party IDDemocrat40%Independent22%Republican38%IdeologyLiberal29%Moderate35%Conservative36%RaceWhite70%African American13%Hispanic12%Asian5%2024 Vote ChoiceHarris49%Trump51%MAGA (Republican respondents only)Not at all MAGA32%Somewhat MAGA37%Very Much MAGA31%DSA (Democratic respondents only)Not at all DSA46%Somewhat DSA42%Very Much DSA12% Crosstabs View the crosstabs View the toplines from the Aug 31, 2026 National Public Opinion Poll release regarding Trump's approval rating. Download Crosstabs This PDF contains the official crosstabs from this poll. Crosstabs break the raw question-and-answer results out by different groups of respondents, such as age, gender, or party affiliation, showing how answers vary across the population. Trump Approval (% Approve), by demographic group and survey dateTrump Approval (% Approve), by demographic group and survey date   Aug. 2026March 2026July 2025April 2025GenderMen36%36%39%48%Women29%29%35%39%Age18-2916%19%27%28%30-5428%28%32%44%>5545%42%48%50%EducationHS or less35%33%42%48%Some Coll.33%30%37%46%Coll. Deg.30%33%34%40%Postgrad29%30%31%36%Income<$40k30%26%35%47%$40k-$100k31%33%39%39%>100k37%38%37%47%Party IDDem.1%2%3%6%Ind.14%18%21%31%Rep.75%81%84%89%IdeologyLib2%4%3%5%Mod.23%23%30%41%Cons.74%75%80%83%RaceWhite41%41%45%49%African American8%8%19%28%Latino17%23%29%37%Asian24%11%12%27%2024 Vote ChoiceHarris1%1%4%7%Trump77%76%83%87%MAGA*Not At All47%50%N/ASomewhat79%85%N/AVery Much99%96%N/ADSA**Not At All1%N/ASomewhat2%N/AVery Much2%N/A*MAGA results include only Republican respondents.**DSA results include only Democratic respondents.Trump Issue Performance (% Handled Well), by demographic group and issue areaTrump Issue Performance (% Handled Well), by demographic group and issue area   InflationImmigrationJobsIranAlliesA.I.CorruptionGenderMen22%44%35%27%33%29%30%Women20%32%26%22%27%18%22%Age18-2911%23%21%14%19%10%13%30-5416%33%25%19%23%19%18%>5532%50%41%35%42%33%40%EducationHS or less21%42%33%26%31%25%27%Some Coll.23%37%33%25%31%19%28%Coll. Deg.20%35%28%22%28%22%25%Postgrad22%33%27%25%27%23%22%Income<$40k18%36%28%24%27%20%24%$40k-$100k22%36%30%24%28%23%27%>100k26%43%35%27%34%26%27%Party IDDem.1%3%4%2%2%5%1%Ind.7%20%14%8%11%7%9%Rep.50%84%68%58%69%51%62%IdeologyLib1%2%3%2%2%2%2%Mod.11%31%22%15%20%16%14%Cons.54%81%67%58%69%53%63%RaceWhite28%47%39%31%37%27%32%African American5%12%5%7%10%11%6%Latino10%17%20%12%13%18%17%Asian16%23%20%16%21%25%10%2024 Vote ChoiceHarris1%3%2%2%2%4%1%Trump54%85%70%59%69%50%62%MAGA*Not At All20%63%43%30%39%24%34%Somewhat50%90%70%58%75%54%64%Very Much82%98%92%87%94%74%89%DSA**Not At All1%4%4%1%2%6%1%Somewhat1%2%1%1%2%4%0%Very Much3%4%9%4%4%2%5%*MAGA results include only Republican respondents.**DSA results include only Democratic respondents.Expectations of Trump’s performance, by demographic groupExpectations of Trump’s performance, by demographic group   Better Than I ExpectedAbout What I ExpectedWorse Than I ExpectedGenderMen18%27%55%Women13%28%58%Age18-299%34%57%30-5410%28%61%>5524%23%52%EducationHS or less17%28%54%Some Coll.16%30%54%Coll. Deg.14%24%62%Postgrad14%29%57%Income<$40k16%24%60%$40k-$100k16%29%56%>100k14%28%57%Party IDDem.2%19%79%Ind.7%27%67%Rep.35%38%28%IdeologyLib2%18%80%Mod.11%24%66%Cons.36%35%29%RaceWhite18%29%53%African American4%24%72%Latino15%24%61%Asian12%33%55%2024 Vote ChoiceHarris1%16%83%Trump36%35%29%MAGA*Not At All16%35%49%Somewhat28%49%23%Very Much62%27%11%DSA**Not At All4%16%80%Somewhat0%18%82%Very Much0%30%70%*MAGA results include only Republican respondents.**DSA results include only Democratic respondents.2024 Vote Choice Redux Among Trump Voters, by demographic group and survey date2024 Vote Choice Redux Among Trump Voters, by demographic group and survey date   Aug. 2026March 2026July 2025Would Vote For TrumpWould Not Vote for TrumpWould Vote For TrumpWould Not Vote For TrumpWould Vote for TrumpWould Not Vote For TrumpGenderMen86%14%84%16%82%18%Women83%17%84%16%89%11%Age18-2967%33%75%25%79%21%30-5477%23%74%26%78%22%>5593%7%92%8%92%8%EducationHS or less89%11%88%12%87%13%Some Coll.94%6%76%24%86%14%Coll. Deg.75%25%86%14%83%17%Postgrad88%12%80%20%86%14%Income<$40k83%17%79%21%82%18%$40k-$100k89%11%84%16%87%13%>100k81%19%89%11%83%17%Party IDDem.16%84%12%88%14%86%Ind.68%32%69%31%58%42%Rep.88%12%93%7%94%6%IdeologyLib64%36%34%66%22%78%Mod.79%21%69%31%74%26%Cons.86%14%95%5%94%6%RaceWhite85%15%85%15%91%9%African American59%41%65%35%74%26%Latino90%10%90%10%73%27%Asian83%17%100%0%30%70%MAGA*Not At All84%16%73%27%N/ASomewhat73%27%96%4%N/AVery Much89%11%99%1%N/A*MAGA results include only Republican respondents.Iran Approval, by demographic group and survey dateIran Approval, by demographic group and survey date   Aug. 2026March 2026ApproveNeitherDisapproveApproveNeitherDisapproveGenderMen32%13%55%34%15%51%Women20%27%53%23%20%57%Age18-2914%21%65%17%23%60%30-5419%26%55%21%22%57%>5539%13%48%40%11%49%EducationHS or less25%27%48%30%22%48%Some Coll.27%19%54%23%21%56%Coll. Deg.26%15%59%30%14%56%Postgrad25%16%60%30%8%62%Income<$40k24%25%50%24%24%52%$40k-$100k25%19%56%31%14%55%>100k31%13%56%31%13%56%Party IDDem.3%13%84%2%7%90%Ind.8%31%61%14%31%55%Rep.60%21%19%73%17%10%IdeologyLib2%6%91%3%7%90%Mod.17%24%59%19%20%61%Cons.60%18%22%69%15%16%RaceWhite33%18%49%35%15%49%African American7%24%69%10%24%66%Latino11%28%60%22%18%60%Asian20%28%52%16%23%61%2024 Vote ChoiceHarris3%9%88%1%6%93%Trump61%17%22%67%16%17%MAGA*Not At All39%24%37%60%19%21%Somewhat60%24%15%70%20%9%Very Much82%14%4%84%12%4%DSA**Not At All4%20%76%N/ASomewhat1%9%90%N/AVery Much5%2%94%N/A*MAGA results include only Republican respondents.**DSA results include only Democratic respondents.Attacking Iran . . . (% Agree), by demographic groupAttacking Iran . . . (% Agree), by demographic group   is putting America first.increased the cost of gas and groceries.has made the U.S. safer.will prevent Iran from developing a nuclear weaponwill make the world more stable.was a mistake.has weakened the American militaryGenderMen31%84%28%36%30%56%58%Women22%77%18%25%21%56%53%Age18-2915%80%13%18%12%61%56%30-5421%77%19%25%20%56%57%>5537%84%32%42%38%53%54%EducationHS or less28%77%24%34%26%51%49%Some Coll.27%77%26%31%28%57%54%Coll. Deg.25%86%22%26%25%59%61%Postgrad24%81%18%30%23%62%65%Income<$40k26%77%22%32%23%52%54%$40k-$100k25%82%22%28%26%58%53%>100k28%80%26%32%28%58%63%Party IDDem.4%88%3%8%4%83%72%Ind.16%77%13%16%10%60%58%Rep.55%75%50%62%57%25%37%IdeologyLib2%89%3%5%4%88%76%Mod.17%83%17%24%16%62%59%Cons.58%76%50%62%58%26%41%RaceWhite32%82%28%37%32%51%54%African American15%82%13%16%8%76%63%Latino18%74%15%23%18%56%52%Asian22%74%10%23%15%49%55%2024 Vote ChoiceHarris3%91%3%5%4%89%82%Trump60%74%53%63%58%22%36%MAGA*Not At All29%81%22%39%35%45%55%Somewhat57%74%51%60%56%19%34%Very Much81%69%78%89%82%11%23%DSA**Not At All6%87%4%13%4%76%65%Somewhat3%92%1%3%3%92%77%Very Much4%83%4%4%7%81%78%*MAGA results include only Republican respondents.**DSA results include only Democratic respondents.Iran War Statements (% Agree), by demographic groupIran War Statements (% Agree), by demographic group   The United States should have gone to war with Iran.The United States is winning the war with Iran.GenderMen32%32%Women23%18%Age18-2921%18%30-5420%21%>5539%33%EducationHS or less28%27%Some Coll.30%28%Coll. Deg.27%22%Postgrad25%23%Income<$40k28%25%$40k-$100k27%24%>100k30%27%Party IDDem.8%3%Ind.9%14%Rep.59%54%IdeologyLib7%3%Mod.17%18%Cons.61%55%RaceWhite34%30%African American10%15%Latino19%15%Asian13%17%2024 Vote ChoiceHarris8%2%Trump60%55%MAGA*Not At All37%28%Somewhat58%52%Very Much82%84%DSA**Not At All10%5%Somewhat5%1%Very Much12%7%*MAGA results include only Republican respondents.**DSA results include only Democratic respondents.Demographic Breakdown of the University of Massachusetts Amherst August 2026 National PollSample demographic breakdown (N = 1,000) CategoryGroupPercentageGenderMen49%Women51%Age18-2920%30-5441%>5539%EducationHS or less37%Some Coll.18%Coll. Deg.32%Postgrad13%Income<$40K36%$40K-$100K38%>$100K26%Party IDDemocrat40%Independent22%Republican38%IdeologyLiberal29%Moderate35%Conservative36%RaceWhite70%African American13%Hispanic12%Asian5%2024 Vote ChoiceHarris49%Trump51%MAGA*Not at all32%Somewhat37%Very Much31%DSA**Not at all46%Somewhat42%Very Much12%* MAGA results include only Republican respondents.** DSA results include only Democratic respondents. Contact for This Poll Tatishe M. Nteta Tatishe Nteta is a leading expert in the area of polling and public opinion. Nteta’s research on public opinion has been published in top peer-reviewed journals, including Public Opinion Quarterly, Political Behavior, Political Psychology, and Political Communication. His work has also been cited in the Washington Post, Boston Globe, NPR, Vox, and Fox News. View Profile