Large majority oppose Canada becoming 51st state and oppose abolishing Department of Education, while support for deportations remains strong

April 2, 2025

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Also:

• Public views Russia, China negatively; Canada, Ukraine positively
• Trump job approval dips slightly since January, majorities disapprove of Musk
• Disapproval of Democratic Party and Democrats in Congress has increased and is stronger than disapproval of Republicans
• Partisan differences remain strong on almost every issue

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

MILWAUKEE – In the run up to threatened new tariffs, a new Marquette Law School Poll national survey finds 58% of adults think tariffs hurt the U.S. economy, while 28% say tariffs help the economy and 14% say they don’t make much difference. Slightly more than half of Republicans, 52%, think tariffs help the economy, but 58% of independents say they hurt the economy, as do 89% of Democrats.

The public is increasingly skeptical of how the economy will fare, in terms of inflation, in response to President Donald Trump’s policies generally. A majority of adults, 58%, think Trump’s policies will increase inflation, 30% think his policies will decrease inflation, and 12% think they will have no effect on inflation. Among Republicans, 62% think the policies will decrease inflation, a decline from 70% in late January and from 76% in December. Only 16% of independents think inflation will decrease, compared to 26% in January and 28% in December. Ninety-two percent of Democrats say Trump’s policies will increase inflation, an increase from 85% who said that in January and 82% in December.

Trump’s national job approval declined slightly in this late March survey to 46%, with 54% disapproval. In January, 48% approved and 52% disapproved. Trump continues to enjoy high approval among Republicans, 87%, hardly changed from 89% in January. His approval has slipped somewhat among independents, to 32%, down from 37%. Approval among Democrats is 10% in March compared to 9% in January.

Approval of how Elon Musk is handling his work in the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) stands at 41%, with disapproval at 58%. Musk’s personal favorability is 38%, with 60% unfavorable.

The survey was conducted March 17-27, 2025, interviewing 1,021 adults nationwide, with a margin of error of +/-3.5 percentage points.

Across lines of race, education, and gender, more people think tariffs will hurt rather than help the economy. The sole exception is white, non-college-educated men, one of Trump’s strongest supporting groups with 67% reporting having voted for Trump in November. Among this core of Trump’s support, 44% say tariffs help the economy and 40% say they hurt the economy. Among all other categories of race, education, and gender, more think the economy will be hurt rather than helped, as shown in Table 1. Large majorities of college-educated white people of either sex and all categories of non-white people expect damage to the economy. A plurality of non-college white women agree, though a quarter don’t think there will be much of an effect.

Table 1: Effect of tariffs on the economy, by race, education and gender

Among adults

Expectations about inflation are similar, with half of white, non-college-educated males thinking inflation will go down due to Trump’s policies, while a plurality of white, non-college-educated females and a majority of all other categories expect his policies to increase inflation, as shown in Table 2.

Table 2: Effect of Trump policies on inflation, by race, education, and gender

Among adults

Other policies and executive orders

A substantial majority (65%) of adults believe that the number of immigrants crossing the southern border has decreased since December, with 30% saying crossings are about the same and 5% saying border crossings have gone up.

A substantial majority (68%) favor deportation of immigrants who are in the United States illegally, an increase from 60% in January. Thirty-two percent are opposed.

When asked about deporting those immigrants in the United States illegally who have been in the country for a number of years and have jobs and no criminal record, support for deportation falls to 41% and opposition rises to 59%, slightly changed from January when 43% favored and 57% opposed deportation of this group.

A substantial majority (64%) say that freezing spending or closing agencies that have been authorized by Congress is beyond the president’s powers, while 36% say the president does have this authority. Within the Republican party, 38% say this is beyond the president’s authority and 62% say he has this power. Among independents, 64% say this is beyond the president’s power, as do 90% of Democrats.

Sixty-five percent oppose abolishing the Department of Education, with 35% in favor. Sixty-seven percent of Republicans favor closing the department, with 33% opposed. A large majority (77%) of independents oppose abolishing the department, with 23% in favor. Among Democrats, 93% oppose closing the department, with 7% in favor.

The public is evenly divided on ending diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) policies in the federal government, with 50% in favor and 50% opposed. Republicans strongly support ending these policies, 80%, while 43% of independents and 22% of Democrats also favor ending DEI programs. A small majority of white adults favor ending DEI programs, while small to substantial majorities of non-white groups are opposed, as shown in Table 3.

Table 3: Ending DEI, by race and ethnicity

Among adults

Trump’s executive order making English the official language of the United States is favored by 73% of adults, including 95% of Republicans, 74% of independents, and 50% of Democrats.

International affairs

In this nationwide survey, Trump’s call to make Canada the 51st state is favored by 25% and opposed by 75%. A substantial percentage, or more, of each partisan group opposes Canada’s merging into the United States, including 62% of Republicans, 73% of independents, and 90% of Democrats.

On Feb. 28, Trump and Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky held a contentious meeting at the White House. Sixty-four percent of those polled said they had heard or read a lot about that meeting, considerably more than the 38% who heard or read a lot about Trump’s speech to a joint session of Congress on March 4 or the 32% who heard a lot about Ukraine’s accepting Trump’s proposal for a 30-day cease fire on March 11.

Among all adults, 37% say the United States is giving too much support to Ukraine in its war against the Russian invasion, 33% say the United States is giving too little support, and 29% say the level of aid is about right.

• A majority of Republicans (59%) say the United States is giving Ukraine too much support, with 11% saying too little and 30% about the right amount.
• A plurality of independents (41%) say United States support is too much, with 27% saying not enough and 32% saying support is about right.
• Democrats hold roughly the reverse of Republican opinion, with 14% saying too much, 59% too little, and 27% saying about the right amount of support.

Of those who heard or read a lot about the White House meeting between Trump and Zelensky, 39% say the United States is giving too little support, compared to 27% saying this among those who heard only a little about the meeting and 18% saying it among those who heard nothing at all about the meeting. The full results are shown in Table 4.

Table 4: Aid to Ukraine by heard about white House meeting

Among adults

Among all adults, 26% say that what happens in Ukraine matters a great deal to life in the United States, 45% say it matters some, 23% say not much, and 6% say it matters not at all. Republicans and independents are more likely to say the outcome in Ukraine matters not much or not at all, compared to half as many Democrats. Likewise, only 16% of Republicans say the outcome matters a great deal, while 22% of independents and 37% of Democrats say the same. The full results are shown in Table 5.

Table 5: Outcome in Ukraine matters, by party identification

Among adults

Zelensky is seen favorably by 45% and unfavorably by 39%, with 17% saying they haven’t heard enough about him. Those with a favorable opinion of Zelensky include 23% of Republicans, 28% of independents, and 72% of Democrats. He is seen unfavorably by 59% of Republicans, 39% of independents, and 18% of Democrats.

In contrast to Zelensky, a large majority (85%) of Americans have an unfavorable opinion of Russian President Vladimir Putin, with 7% holding a favorable view. Republicans are only slightly more positive to Putin than are adults overall, with 10% favorable and 82% unfavorable. Independents are slightly more positive, 12% favorable and 74% unfavorable, with 14% saying they haven’t heard enough. Democrats are overwhelmingly unfavorable to Putin (92%).

Americans have a substantially more positive view of Ukraine than of Zelensky, with 59% favorable to the country and 31% unfavorable. Views of Russia are more similar to views of Putin, with 9% viewing Russia favorably and 83% unfavorably. While a majority of Republicans view Zelensky unfavorably, they are more evenly split on Ukraine, with 44% favorable and 45% unfavorable. In the cases of both Russia and Putin, more than 70% of each U.S. partisan group have unfavorable opinions of both country and leader.

A substantial majority (64%) of adults say the United States will be better off if it takes an active part in world affairs, while 36% say the country should stay out of world affairs. The percentage favoring an active role has increased in each partisan category since October 2024, during the Biden presidency. In October, 49% of Republicans chose an active role in the world, compared to 58% in March. Among independents, in October, 34% said an active role, while in March 48% said the same. For Democrats, those saying the United States should play an active role rose from 64% in October to 75% in March.

A cornerstone of U.S. foreign policy since World War II is the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). Among all adults, 56% have a favorable view of NATO, 27% unfavorable, and 17% say they haven’t heard enough. A plurality, but not a majority, of both Republicans (45%) and independents (43%) have favorable views of NATO, while a large majority (72%) of Democrats view the alliance favorably. There are substantial percentages who say they haven’t heard enough, especially among independents, as shown in Table 6.

Table 6: Favorability to NATO, by party identification

Among adults

As with Russia, views of China are quite unfavorable, and this is the case among each partisan group. Among all adults, 73% have an unfavorable opinion and 18% a favorable view. Those with an unfavorable opinion include 79% of Republicans, 67% of independents, and 69% of Democrats.

Americans have far more favorable views of Canada. 73%, with 20% unfavorable. There is some variation by party, with 60% favorable among Republicans, 63% among independents, and 89% among Democrats.

Opinion about Israel is evenly divided, with 43% favorable and 43% unfavorable and 14% saying they haven’t heard enough. There is a substantial partisan divide, with 65% of Republicans favorable, 29% of independents, and 26% of Democrats. A substantial majority (63%) of Democrats have an unfavorable view of Israel, as do 47% of independents. Independents are considerably more likely than Democrats or Republicans to lack an opinion. The full results are shown in Table 7.

Table 7: Favorability to Israel by party identification

Among adults

There is a substantial difference in views of Israel by age, with younger people more negative and older people more positive, as shown in Table 8. This gradient with age also persists within each partisan category.

Table 8: Favorability to Israel by age

Among adults

Those with and those without a college degree (“non-graduates”) have nearly identical favorability to Israel, 43% among college graduates and 44% among non-graduates. Unfavorable views are a bit higher among college grads, 47%, than among non-graduates, 40%, though more non-graduates lack an opinion, 16%, than do graduates, 9%.

Views of the parties

Approval of the way Republicans in Congress are handing their job stands at 45%, with disapproval at 55%. Approval of how Democrats in Congress are doing their job is substantially lower at 29%, with disapproval at 71%. Republican approval of Republicans in Congress is 87%, while approval among Democrats of the way congressional Democrats are handling their job is only 50%. Among independents, 28% approve of the job by congressional Republicans and 15% approve of the job by congressional Democrats. Partisans of both parties are equally negative about the other party’s members of Congress: 88% of Republicans disapprove of job by Democrats in Congress, and 90% of Democrats disapprove of that by congressional Republicans.

Favorability to the Democratic Party has declined from 46% in October to 35% in March, while the favorable rating of the Republican Party has increased from 42% in October to 46% in March. Favorability to the MAGA (Make America Great Again) movement trails that of the Republican Party at 41%, up slightly from 39% in October.

Vaccinations and measles outbreak

A relatively modest 37% say they have heard or read a lot about a measles outbreak in Texas and New Mexico, with 43% who say they have heard a little and 20% who have heard nothing at all. Democrats are considerably more likely to have heard a lot, 49%, than are Republicans, 29%, or independents, 23%. Only 12% of Democrats have heard nothing at all about the outbreak, while 24% of Republicans and 33% of independents have heard nothing.

A large majority (87%) of adults say the benefits of childhood vaccinations for measles, mumps, and rubella outweigh the risks, while 13% say the risks outweigh the benefits.

Those with children under 18 at home are more skeptical of vaccines than those without children. Among those with children, 81% say the benefits outweigh the risks of vaccines, while for those without school-age children, 90% say the benefits are worth it. This pattern holds across age groups for those under 30, 30-44, and 45-59. In each group those with children are less confident that the benefits of vaccines outweigh the risks than are those without children.

Those who think the benefits outweigh the risks are almost twice as likely to have heard a lot about the measles outbreak than those who think the risks outweigh the benefits, by a margin of 39% to 21%.

Racism and antisemitism

Sixty-eight percent say racism is a very big or moderately big problem, while 32% say it is a small problem or no problem at all. This percentage has varied little across 11 national surveys since late 2022.

Opinion is evenly divided over whether discrimination against white people has become as big of a problem as discrimination against Black people and other minorities, with 51% saying that it is as big a problem and 49% disagreeing. As with views of racism, this perception has hardly changed over the past year. A majority of white people (60%) say discrimination against white people is as big a problem, while 76% of Black people disagree, as do 55% of Hispanics and 68% of people of other or multiple races.

Those who view antisemitism as a very big or moderately big problem in the United States make up 61%, while 39% say it is a small problem or not a problem at all. Unlike views of Israel, there are modest partisan differences in concern with antisemitism, with 59% of Republicans, 51% of independents, and 65% of Democrats saying it is a problem.

Direction of the country

The percentage saying the country is headed in the right direction has more than doubled since October, going from 20% in October to 42% in March. Those saying the country is off on the wrong track has declined from 80% in October to 58% in March. The recent trend is shown in Table 9.

Table 9: Direction of the country

Among adults

These changing views are heavily influenced by partisan perceptions which shifted dramatically following Trump’s election in November. The percentage of Republicans saying right direction jumped from 7% in October to 80% in March, while Democrats dropped from 33% in October to 11% in March. Independents became somewhat more positive about the direction of the country, rising from 14% saying right direction in October to 25% in March. The full trend by party is shown in Table 10.

Table 10: Direction of the country, by party identification

Among adults

Economic conditions

The share of adults saying the economy is poor has declined over the last several months, from 31% in October to 20% in March. But the percentage saying the economy is excellent or good has only slightly increased, rising from 24% in October to 26% in March. Most of the reduction in those saying the economy is poor was absorbed by those saying the economy is “not so good,” which is now 53%—up from 45% in October. The full trend is shown in Table 11.

Table 11: Views of the national economy

Among adults

The economy is seen through profound partisan lenses. Republicans now see a far better economy than they did in October when Joe Biden was president. Likewise, Democrats have become more negative about the economy with Trump as president. Independents became less negative from October to December but have changed little since then. Table 12 shows the trends by partisanship.

Table 12: Views of the national economy, by party identification

Among adults

Family finances

Looking to the financial situation within the home, the percentage saying they are struggling has declined from 23% in October to 15% in March. Those saying they are just getting by rose from 43% to 47%, and those reporting living comfortably increased from 34% to 38%. The full results are shown in Table 13.

Table 13: Family financial situation

Among adults

Republicans’ views of their family finances improved considerably from October to March, while independents improved a little and Democrats became a bit less likely to say they were struggling. The trend within party is shown in Table 14.

Table 14: Family financial situation, by party identification

Among adults

About the Marquette Law School Poll

The survey was conducted March 17-27, 2025, interviewing 1,021 adults nationwide, with a margin of error of +/-3.5 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 3. The detailed methodology statement, survey instrument, topline results, and crosstabs for this release are available at the Marquette Law Poll website.

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About Kevin Conway

Kevin is the associate director for university communication in the Office of Marketing and Communication. Contact Kevin at (414) 288-4745 or kevin.m.conway@marquette.edu.