Poll: Americans Favor Republicans on Fixing Nation's Problems, Democrats Ahead on Several Issues

A Reuters/Ipsos national poll conducted Sept. 19-21 found that Americans see Republicans as having better plans to address major national problems than Democrats on several issues, including crime, immigration, foreign conflicts and the economy. The survey reflects a persistent perception among many voters that the Republican Party offers clearer paths to tackling these challenges as the country navigates inflation and affordability concerns.

On crime, 40% of adults questioned said Republicans have a better plan to deal with the issue, compared with 20% who said the Democrats’ proposals would be more effective. On immigration, the GOP held an 18-point edge. For foreign policy, Republicans led by 12 points in terms of having better plans to manage conflicts abroad, and on the economy, they led by 10 points. The margin suggests a broad-pride perception of the GOP’s problem-solving approach on national security and fiscal matters even as the public grows wary about the economy’s trajectory. The poll also found that 54% of respondents feel the economy is on the wrong track, while 35% gave President Donald Trump a thumbs up for his handling of the economy. Trump’s approval rating on dealing with the cost of living stood at 28% in the survey.

The Reuters/Ipsos results also showed Americans giving the GOP a slight edge on several other hot-button issues. The poll indicated Republicans had better plans than Democrats on gun control, political extremism, and corruption, while Democrats were favored on the environment, healthcare, women’s rights, and respect for democracy. The data come as Trump seeks to capitalize on the economy message and as Republicans attempt to frame their approach as more focused and actionable than Democrats’ policy rhetoric. Veteran Republican pollster Frank Luntz commented on social media that Americans have lost faith in the Democratic Party, pointing to the Reuters/Ipsos survey as evidence that the opposition party’s standing has weakened in its first year in office.

The study’s release follows a Fox News national poll conducted in July, which found that voters were more likely to say the GOP has a clear plan for addressing the country’s problems than the Democrats, though a sizable share of respondents believed neither party had a clear plan. The Fox News poll showed 43% of respondents viewed Republicans as having a clear plan, compared with 33% who believed Democrats did. However, a majority of respondents believed that neither party had a clear plan. The survey also highlighted partisan confidence gaps: about eight in ten Republicans were confident their party had a clear plan, compared with roughly half of Democrats (about 51%). The juxtaposition of the Reuters/Ipsos and Fox News results underscores how party messaging around inflation, crime, and immigration is shaping perceptions of each party’s problem-solving capacity as the 2025 political cycle broadens.

For context, the Reuters/Ipsos survey was conducted in the days surrounding ongoing debates over inflation and fiscal policy, with Republicans centering their campaign messaging on crime and border security, and Democrats emphasizing environment and health priorities. The results suggest that while Republicans hold a perceptual edge on several policy arenas, broad concerns about the economy and the cost of living remain a central frame for voters. Analysts say the diverging signals from Reuters/Ipsos and Fox News illustrate the challenge for both parties: translating abstract policy positions into concrete, credible plans that voters feel confident will fix real-world problems. As campaigns move forward, the interplay between national security, economic stability, and social issues will continue to shape perceptions of which party offers the most viable path forward for the country.