Latest Winthrop Poll Results in New Partnership with YouGov (07/13/26)

July 13, 2026

HIGHLIGHTS

• Residents around the country were asked about the president's approval rating, the economy, the conflict with Iran, foreign policy, immigration, inflation and affordability, declaring America a Christian nation, whether being a Christian is important to being an American, trust in the institutions of American democracy, and the Jeffrey Epstein files, among other topics.
• YouGov, a global research data and analytics group, has been a pioneer and innovator in online polling with consistent cutting-edge methodology.

ROCK HILL, SOUTH CAROLINA - In partnership with YouGov, the Winthrop Poll has released its first national poll this month on a host of issues.

Residents around the country were asked about the president's approval rating, the economy, the conflict with Iran, foreign policy, immigration, inflation and affordability, declaring America a Christian nation, whether being a Christian is important to being an American, trust in the institutions of American democracy, and the Jeffrey Epstein files, among other topics.

Find poll results and tables here.

Nationally, Donald Trump's Approval [Table 1] ratings hover in the mid 30s. Nearly 7 in 10 Independents Disapprove of how he's doing his job as president. According to Scott Huffmon, director of the Winthrop Poll, "We know that approval ratings at this level don't bode well for the president's party if they persist into November, but the significant disapproval among Independents points to a potential Democratic strategy. A concerted get out the vote effort aimed at Independents may be the key to Democratic victories across the country. However, since the Independents seem likely not to be voting for Democrats so much as voting against Republicans if they turn out, a standard Democratic get out the vote campaign may not be as effective."

Respondents were asked whether they approved or disapproved of how Trump was handling the economy, inflation, immigration, the conflict with Iran, and foreign policy, in general. [Table 2] When strongly disapprove and somewhat disapprove are combined, majorities of Americans disapprove of how Trump is handling each of these. Huffmon noted, "Among Republicans, a quarter disapprove of his handling of Iran. Certainly, an overwhelming majority approve, but three times as many Republicans disapprove of his handling of Iran versus his handling of immigration. This gets to the heart of understanding some of the different coalitions within the Republican party. The strong America First wing would certainly approve of Trump's immigration policies.

However, they took him at his word when he said he was 'not going to start a war' in his 2024 victory speech and seem to be displeased with our war in Iran.

Nonetheless, it's important to keep in mind that, while they may disapprove of his handling of Iran, very few are likely to turn their back on their party. Many of them have other issues on which they continue to support Trump, such as the 91% who approve of how he's handling immigration."

There is a clear partisan split on how well respondents rate the economy. [Tables 4-7] Overall, 64% rate it as fairly bad or very bad. However, two-thirds of Republicans rate the economy as very or fairly good as opposed to merely 9% of Democrats. Only 27% of Americans think the economy will be better a year from now. While 59% of Republicans have faith that it will improve, only 12% of Independents and 7% of Democrats share that faith.

Huffmon noted, "Majorities of Americans reported difficulty affording groceries, health care, and housing. If this trend continues into November, Republicans - who control the Senate, House, and White House - will struggle to explain how the economy will quickly turn around if they are reelected."

Jeffrey Epstein is still in the forefront of most Americans' minds. [Tables 8-12] Sixty-three percent say they have been following the news about the Epstein files. Two-thirds of Americans believe that the government is hiding evidence concerning the case. Half of Americans believe that Trump was involved in Epstein's crimes, but this is the result of a dramatic partisan split. Only 9% of Republicans believe Trump was involved versus 87% of Democrats.

Huffmon observed, "The Epstein files aren't going anywhere any time soon. Voters continue to follow what's going on with the Epstein files despite deep concern about the economy and the distraction of a war. Only one in five Americans believe that everyone involved will be thoroughly investigated. The fact that nearly 60% of the president's base doesn't believe that justice will be carried out means that this will be one more topic that could weigh the Republicans down in November. With potential voters doubting the government's commitment to justice in the Epstein case, disapproving of the war in Iran, and struggling to make ends meet, there is little wonder that Republicans started the redistricting wars to try to maintain control of the House."

The topic of race still deeply divides the parties. While 7 in 10 Democrats believe that too little attention is paid to racial issues today, only 13% of Republicans agree. [Table 13] Contrary to what some might assume, there are no significant differences between those who live in the South versus non-South when it comes to beliefs about too much, too little, or the right amount of attention paid to racial issues.

Huffmon noted, "While a large regional difference in attitudes about attention paid to racial issues didn't emerge, notable difference showed up when we focused on the white respondents. As political scientist V.O. Key told us in 1949, the politics of the South revolve around the position of African Americans. While pluralities of Americans, whether southern or not, believe too little attention is paid to racial issues, this trend reverses when only whites are examined. The plurality now flips to 'too much attention.' The fact that more Americans believe there should be more effort to address racial issues but more whites in America believe that too much attention has already been given to racial matters belies the notion that we are entering a post-racial America as some claim. In fact, with ongoing heated debates over topics such as DEI, we can see that public conflict over racial issues never went away, even if they went underground for a while."

Nearly four times as many Republicans than Democrats believe the government should declare America to be a Christian nation. [Tables 14-18] More than three times as many Republicans than Democrats believe in America's religious exceptionalism - that the country holds a special place in God's plan.

Nonetheless, a majority of Republicans believed the government should maintain the separation of church and state even if it was 26 points lower than Democrats. However, there is a 35-point difference between Democrats and Republicans on the topic of whether America's founding documents were "divinely inspired."

Huffmon stated, "The very notion of who is considered a true American has become a partisan religious battle. Fifty-six percent of Republicans say that being Christian is an important aspect of being 'truly American' as opposed to 17% of Democrats. Article VI of the Constitution forbids any religious tests for office holders, but we appear to disagree as to whether there should be one to simply be American."

Trust in American democratic values, such as the freedom of the press, free elections, and equality under the law, is also a point of partisan contention. [Tables 19-24]

There is opposition to mid-decade gerrymandering across the board. However, 67% of Democrats oppose it while only 50% of Republicans express clear opposition. [Table 25]

Fewer than 3 in 10 Republicans believe that greater numbers of people of different races, ethnicities, and nationalities make America a better place as opposed to more than 7 in 10 Democrats. [Table 26]

Huffmon added, "In 2026, a fight has broken out in the kitchen over what ingredients should go in the melting pot."

Statement on YouGov Partnership

YouGov, a global research data and analytics group, has been a pioneer and innovator in online polling with consistent cutting-edge methodology. In a 2016 blind test by Pew, YouGov was ranked the most accurate online poll. They have also been ranked as the most accurate in polling various global elections as recently as 2025. The core methodology is described at the bottom of the poll results, but more general information may be found here: YouGov Methodology .

With this collaboration, the Winthrop Poll will be able to semi-regularly poll the nation while continuing to poll South Carolina and the South. This will allow the Winthrop Poll to contextualize the opinions of South Carolinians relative to the nation in a consistent manner. The result will be a more nuanced understanding of South Carolina attitudes.

For the current Winthrop Poll national survey of 2,150 respondents, the following margins of error are reported at the 95% confidence level.

Results using all national respondents have a margin of error of +/- 2.11%
Results using only respondents from the South have a margin of error of +/- 3.58%
Results using only respondents from the non-South have a margin of error of +/- 2.62%
Results using only Democrats and Leaners nationally have a margin of error of +/-3.28%
Results using only Republicans and Leaners nationally have a margin of error of +/-3.47%
Results using only Independents nationally have a margin of error of +/-4.79%
Results using only White Respondents nationally have a margin of error of +/-2.65%
Results using only White Respondents from the South have a margin of error of +/-4.8%

The South is defined as the 11 states of the former confederacy: Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, and Virginia.

The number of respondents from any single state is too small to report results for that state.

Numbers may not sum to 100 due to rounding.

Full methodology in compliance with the American Association for Public Opinion Research Transparency Initiative is on the Winthrop Poll website.

For additional information or to set up an interview with Scott Huffmon, contact Judy Longshaw at [email protected] or 803/323-2404 (office) or 803/984-0586 (cell).

This is the first release of findings from the summer 2026 Winthrop Poll national survey. The upcoming releases will focus on national and southern attitudes on the confederate flag and monuments as well as take a deep dive into political polarization in the country.