November 6, 2017

Key Takeaways from October 2017 NBC/WSJ Survey

Nearly a year after winning the presidency, Donald Trump finds himself with a job rating of 38%, marking his lowest approval rating so far, and the second lowest of any president at this point in their presidency going back to President Truman. His marks on the economy are better than his overall rating, but even here Americans are only somewhat more likely to approve than disapprove of the job that he is doing. Americans are more likely to give him positive than negative ratings for his response to Hurricane Harvey in Texas and Hurricane Irma in Florida, but they are overwhelmingly negative to his handling of Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico. In personal terms, Americans view Donald Trump more negatively than positively by 18 points. Conversely, John McCain stands in positive terrain by 15 points. Americans’ initial reviews of President Trump’s tax plan are not good. They are more likely to say that the plan is a bad idea rather than a good idea, with many withholding judgment at this time. While many are unsure of the tax plan’s implications for them, Americans are more likely to believe that they would pay more in taxes than less in taxes if the proposal were to become law. And most Americans do not believe that the tax plan will do a lot to improve and grow the economy. On the other hand, since Donald Trump’s election, Americans are more likely to believe that the Affordable Care Act is a good idea, rather than a bad one. And if healthcare costs increase and more people lose their healthcare coverage Americans are more likely to believe that the Trump administration, rather than the Obama administration, is most responsible.

On the issue of sexual harassment in the workplace, two in three Americans believe that this happens in nearly all or most workplaces. About one in two working women reports having received unwanted sexual advances, and two in five working men report that they have witnessed this take place. Nearly four in five working women say that the recent high-profile stories about how women are treated in society have made them more likely to speak out in the future if they are treated unfairly due to their gender, and a nearly equal proportion of men say that they are likely to speak out if they see this take place.

Click here for the poll’s topline results.