NBC/WSJ Survey: Trump Approval Ratings
NBC/WSJ Survey: Trump Approval Ratings
Interviews: 900 Adults, including 495 respondents with a cell phone only and Date: October 27-30, 2019
20 respondents reached on a cell phone but who also have a landline.
128 additional interviews were completed with Democratic primary
voters in order to achieve a total of N=414 interviews. 48 Male
52 Female
Study #19433
NBC News/Wall Street Journal Survey
Please note: all results are shown as percentages unless otherwise stated.
The margin of error for 720 interviews among Registered Voters is ±3.65%
The margin of error for 414 interviews among Democratic Primary Voters is ±4.82%
Unless otherwise noted by a “+” or “++”, all previous data shown reflects responses among all adults.
Q2a For statistical purposes only, would you please tell me how old you are?
(IF “REFUSED,” ASK:) Well, would you tell me which age group you belong to? (READ LIST)
18-24........................................ 11
25-29........................................ 7
30-34........................................ 12
35-39........................................ 8
40-44........................................ 9
45-49........................................ 8
50-54........................................ 7
55-59........................................ 11
60-64........................................ 10
65-69........................................ 5
70-74........................................ 5
75 and over .............................. 7
Not sure/refused .................... -
Q2b To ensure that we have a representative sample, would you please tell me whether you are from a Hispanic
or Spanish-speaking background?
Q2c And again, for statistical purposes only, what is your race--white, black, Asian, or something else?
White ................................. 72
Black .................................. 13
Asian.................................. 3
Other.................................. 3
Hispanic (VOL) ................ 7
Not sure/refused .............. 2
Q3 Registered Voter.
Yes......................... 80
No .......................... 20
Hart Research Associates/Public Opinion Strategies Study #19433 -- page 2
Late October 2019 NBC News/Wall Street Journal Survey
Q4 In general, do you approve or disapprove of the job Donald Trump is doing as president? (IF
APPROVE/DISAPPROVE) And, do you strongly or just somewhat (approve/disapprove) of the job Donald
Trump is doing as president?
8/22- 8/18-
1/19 12/18 11/18+ 10/18+ 9/18+ 25/18+ 22/18+ 7/18+ 6/18+
43 43 46 47 44 44 46 45 44
29 27 32 30 29 31 30 29 26
14 16 14 17 15 13 16 16 18
54 54 52 49 52 52 51 52 53
7 10 7 6 7 9 7 8 11
47 44 45 43 45 43 44 44 42
3 3 2 4 4 4 3 3 2
Q5a Do you generally approve or disapprove of the job Donald Trump is doing in handling the economy?
10/27- 4/28-
30/19* 8/19 5/1/19 1/19 7/18+1 10/171 9/171 6/17 4/17
Approve......................................... 52 49 51 51 50 42 41 44 44
Disapprove.................................... 43 46 41 45 34 37 36 48 46
No opinion................................... 3 3 7 NA 15 20 22 NA NA
Not sure....................................... 2 2 1 4 1 1 1 8 10
* Asked of one-half the respondents (FORM A).
1
2017-18 language included a read option for “No opinion.”
Q5b Do you generally approve or disapprove of the job Donald Trump is doing in handling foreign policy?
10/27-
30/19** 2/19 6/17 4/17
Approve............................. 41 43 39 40
Disapprove ........................ 55 52 57 55
Not sure .......................... 4 5 4 5
** Asked of one-half the respondents (FORM B).
Hart Research Associates/Public Opinion Strategies Study #19433 -- page 3
Late October 2019 NBC News/Wall Street Journal Survey
Moving on…
Q6 Now I'm going to read you the names of several public figures, groups, and organizations and I'd like you to
rate your feelings toward each one as very positive, somewhat positive, neutral, somewhat negative, or very
negative. If you don't know the name, please just say so. (ALWAYS ASK DONALD TRUMP FIRST,
RANDOMIZE :2-10)
Don't Know
Very Somewhat Somewhat Very Name/
Positive Positive Neutral Negative Negative Not Sure
Donald Trump
October 27-30, 2019 ........................ 29 11 7 10 43 -
October 4-6, 2019 ............................ 27 11 9 9 44 -
September 2019+ ............................ 30 11 8 7 44 -
August 2019 ..................................... 28 11 8 8 45 -
April 28-May 1, 2019 ........................ 28 11 12 8 41 -
March 2019 ...................................... 28 12 9 10 41 -
February 2019 ................................. 30 12 8 10 40 -
January 2019 ................................... 27 12 9 8 43 1
December 2018 ............................... 24 13 11 9 43 -
November 2018+ ............................. 29 12 6 7 45 1
October 2018+ ................................. 27 15 7 8 43 -
September 2018+ ............................ 26 13 9 8 44 -
August 18-22, 2018+ ....................... 29 11 9 8 42 1
July 2018+ ....................................... 28 12 9 9 43 -
June 2018+ ...................................... 24 16 9 10 41 -
April 2018 ......................................... 21 14 12 10 43 -
March 2018 ...................................... 23 14 11 12 40 -
January 2018 ................................... 24 12 8 8 48 -
December 2017 ............................... 21 16 9 9 45 -
October 2017 ................................... 23 13 10 8 46 -
September 2017 .............................. 23 16 12 10 39 -
August 2017 ..................................... 22 14 12 12 40 -
June 2017 ........................................ 25 13 11 9 41 1
May 2017 ......................................... 21 17 9 10 42 1
April 2017 ............................................. 23 16 11 10 40 -
February 2017 ..................................... 27 16 10 12 35 -
January 2017 ....................................... 20 18 13 10 38 1
December 2016 ................................... 20 20 13 11 35 1
October 10-13, 2016+ .......................... 15 14 8 10 52 1
October 8-10, 2016+ ............................ 17 13 7 12 51 -
September 2016+ ................................ 15 13 11 12 49 -
August 2016+....................................... 13 15 11 11 50 -
July 2016+ ........................................... 10 17 13 11 49 -
June 2016+ .......................................... 12 17 11 12 48 -
May 2016+ ........................................... 13 16 12 14 44 1
April 2016+........................................... 11 13 10 12 53 1
March 2016+ ........................................ 12 13 11 10 54 -
February 2016+ ................................... 11 17 12 10 49 1
January 2016+ ..................................... 14 15 12 11 47 1
December 2015 ................................... 12 15 13 12 47 1
October 25-29, 2015 ............................ 10 17 17 14 42 -
October 15-18, 2015 ............................ 13 17 17 14 39 -
September 2015 .................................. 8 17 16 14 44 1
July 2015 ............................................. 10 16 16 13 43 2
February 2011 ..................................... 9 17 40 18 11 5
May 2004+ ........................................... 9 17 38 14 15 7
December 1999 ................................... 4 12 28 24 25 7
October 1999 ....................................... 3 11 25 23 32 6
July 1990 ............................................. 3 11 28 25 24 9
High
February 2017 ..................................... 27 16 10 12 35 -
Presidential Term Low
April 2018 ............................................ 21 14 12 10 43 -
All-time Trump Low
April 2016+........................................... 11 13 10 12 53 1
+ Results shown reflect responses among registered voters.
Hart Research Associates/Public Opinion Strategies Study #19433 -- page 4
Late October 2019 NBC News/Wall Street Journal Survey
Mitch McConnell
October 27-30, 2019* ................... 5 13 20 14 26 22
January 2019 ............................... 4 13 23 10 25 25
October 2018+ ............................. 6 15 19 10 26 24
August 2018+ ............................... 1 11 25 18 23 22
January 2018 ............................... 1 12 21 18 21 27
October 2017 ............................... 1 11 24 17 20 27
September 2017........................... - 11 21 16 25 27
February 2017 .............................. 2 12 24 14 20 28
October 2015 ............................... 2 5 24 18 15 36
January 2015 ............................... 2 10 25 11 17 35
November 2014............................ 4 14 22 13 14 33
April 2014 ..................................... 1 7 24 10 13 45
January 2013 ............................... 2 10 22 11 11 44
January 2012 ............................... 3 7 25 7 12 46
November 11-15, 2010 ................ 3 8 22 8 11 48
September 2010........................... 3 9 20 9 9 50
October 2009 .............................. 3 6 19 8 6 58
January 2007 ............................... 2 9 19 5 1 64
Adam Schiff
October 27-30, 2019* ................... 6 10 15 6 22 41
Rudy Giuliani
October 27-30, 2019** .................. 9 15 16 7 37 16
October 4-6, 2019 ........................ 12 14 14 12 30 18
August 2018+ ............................... 11 17 16 15 27 14
June 2018+ .................................. 12 18 21 12 27 10
January 2008................................ 6 23 24 20 20 7
December 2007 ............................... 10 27 19 17 20 7
November 2007 ............................ 12 31 20 16 15 6
September 2007 ........................... 15 28 20 15 15 7
March 2007 .................................. 21 37 21 8 6 7
December 2006 ............................ 19 36 22 9 5 9
August 2004+ ............................... 29 29 20 7 4 11
September 2002 ........................... 42 25 16 3 3 11
December 2001 ............................ 61 23 9 1 1 5
* Asked of one-half the respondents (FORM A).
** Asked of one-half the respondents (FORM B).
+ Results shown reflect responses among registered voters.
Hart Research Associates/Public Opinion Strategies Study #19433 -- page 9
Late October 2019 NBC News/Wall Street Journal Survey
Changing topics…
Q7 Please tell me how interested you are in the 2020 elections, using a scale from one to ten, on which a "ten"
means that you are very interested in the elections and a "one" means that you are not at all interested. You
may choose any number from one to ten. (RECORD NUMBER 1-10. IF "NOT SURE," RECORD AS "DK.") 1
10/27- 4/28-
30/19+ 5/1/19+
10, very interested ..... 64 63
9................................. 8 6
8................................. 11 13
7................................. 5 6
6................................. 3 3
5................................. 3 5
4................................. 2 1
3................................. 1 -
2................................. 1 1
1, not at all interested 2 2
Cannot rate .............. - -
10/10- 10/8-
13/16+ 10/16+ 9/16+ 5/16+ 2/16+ 9/15+ 4/15+
67 62 60 60 61 56 53
5 8 8 9 9 8 7
9 10 11 11 13 13 15
5 5 7 6 6 9 8
3 2 3 3 3 3 4
4 6 4 6 4 5 7
2 - 1 1 1 1 1
1 2 2 2 1 1 1
1 1 1 - - 1 2
2 4 3 2 2 2 2
1 - - - - 1 -
9/26- 9/12-
10/12+ 30/12+ 16/12+ 8/12+ 7/12+ 6/12+ 5/12+ 4/12+ 3/12+ 1/12+
69 65 64 62 62 60 62 61 48 57
8 8 8 6 6 8 7 6 11 10
9 10 12 13 11 12 12 12 14 11
4 5 6 6 7 7 6 7 9 7
2 3 2 3 4 3 4 3 5 3
5 5 4 5 5 5 5 5 6 6
- - 1 1 1 2 1 2 2 2
- 1 1 1 1 1 1 2 1 2
1 1 1 1 - 1 1 1 1 1
2 2 1 2 3 1 1 2 2 1
- - - - - - - - 1 -
Q8 If there were a presidential primary election or caucus in your state next year, would you vote in the Democratic
primary or caucus, the Republican primary or caucus, or would you wait to vote in the general election in
November 2020?
Q9d How satisfied are you with the choice of DEMOCRATIC candidates for president (ROTATE TOP TO
BOTTOM, BOTTOM TO TOP) -- very satisfied, fairly satisfied, not very satisfied, or not at all satisfied? ^^
Q9e Which will be more important in deciding your vote in the Democratic presidential primary? ^^ 1
Voting for a candidate who will build on former President Obama’s legacy................... 37
Voting for a candidate who will take a new and different approach................................ 55
Not sure ....................................................................................................................... 8
^^ Results shown reflect responses among registered voters who said they would vote in the Democratic
primary or caucus.
1
Question language from a September 2019 FOX News Poll of registered voters more likely to vote in the
Democratic primary or caucus.
Hart Research Associates/Public Opinion Strategies Study #19433 -- page 14
Late October 2019 NBC News/Wall Street Journal Survey
10/27-
30/19+ 7/19+
Donald Trump ................................. 41 42
Joe Biden ........................................ 50 51
Depends (VOL) ............................ - -
Neither/other (VOL) ...................... 6 4
Not sure ....................................... 3 3
+ Results shown reflect responses among registered voters.
Q10B (And,) if the election for president were held today, and (ROTATE) Donald Trump were the Republican
candidate and Elizabeth Warren were the Democratic candidate, for whom would you vote? +
10/27-
30/19+ 7/19+
Donald Trump ................................. 42 43
Elizabeth Warren ............................ 50 48
Depends (VOL) ............................ - 1
Neither/other (VOL) ...................... 5 4
Not sure ....................................... 3 4
+ Results shown reflect responses among registered voters.
Q11 Which one of these three statements comes closest to your point of view? +
Statement A: I am almost certain to vote for Donald Trump no matter whom the Democrats nominate for
president.
Statement B: I am almost certain to vote against Donald Trump no matter whom the Democrats decide to
nominate.
Statement C: I may vote for or against Donald Trump depending upon whom the Democrats nominate for
president.
Q12 And, knowing it is a long ways off, what is your preference for the outcome of next year’s congressional
elections -- (ROTATE:) a Congress controlled by Republicans or a Congress controlled by Democrats?
10/27- 8/18-
30/19+ 10/18+ 9/18+ 22/18+ 7/18+ 6/18+ 4/18+ 3/18+ 1/18+ 12/17+ 10/17+
Republican-controlled ...... 42 41 40 42 43 40 40 40 43 39 41
Democrat-controlled ......... 49 48 52 50 49 50 47 50 49 50 48
Not sure ........................... 9 11 8 8 8 10 13 10 8 11 11
10/10- 10/8-
9/17+ 6/17+ 4/17+ 13/16+ 10/16+ 9/16+ 8/16+ 6/16+ 5/16+ 4/16+
42 42 43 44 42 45 43 46 44 45
48 50 47 46 48 48 47 46 48 47
10 8 10 10 10 7 10 8 8 8
10/7- 9/26-
9/13+ 9/13+ 7/13+ 6/13+ 10/12+ 30/12+ 8/12+ 7/12+ 6/12+ 5/12+
39 43 44 42 43 43 42 45 44 43
47 46 44 45 45 47 47 46 45 44
14 11 12 13 12 10 11 9 11 13
10/28- 10/14-
4/12+ 3/12+ 1/12+ 12/11+ 11/11+ 10/11+ 8/11+ 6/11+ 30/10+ 18/10+
44 41 41 43 43 41 47 44 46 44
46 46 47 45 46 45 41 44 44 46
10 13 12 12 11 14 12 12 10 10
9/09+ 7/09+ 4/09+ 11/08+ 10/08+ 9/08+ 8/08+ 6/08+ 4/08+ 3/08+
40 39 39 36 36 37 36 33 34 35
43 46 48 48 49 50 47 52 49 49
17 15 13 16 15 13 17 15 17 16
11/07+ 9/07+ 10/06+ 9/06+ 7/06+ 6/06+ 4/06+ 3/06+ 1/06+ 12/05+
37 35 37 39 38 38 39 37 38 38
46 47 52 48 48 49 45 50 47 46
17 18 11 13 14 13 16 13 15 16
11/05+ 10/05+ 7/05+ 5/05+ 10/04+ 9/04+ 6/04+ 5/04+ 3/04+ 1/04
37 39 40 40 43 42 42 41 42 42
48 48 45 47 44 46 44 44 45 43
15 13 15 13 13 12 14 15 13 15
12/13/03 10/02+ 9/02 7/02 6/02 1/02 12/01 12/99 10/99 7/99 6/99
42 43 42 43 42 44 42 40 39 39 42
42 42 42 41 41 40 40 44 41 43 41
16 15 16 16 17 16 18 16 20 18 17
4/99 3/99 10/98+ 9/98 7/98 6/98 1/98 12/97 9/97 7/97 4/97
41 37 41 40 41 39 40 41 41 45 44
40 43 43 39 40 40 42 37 39 39 38
19 20 16 21 19 21 18 22 20 16 18
+ Results shown reflect responses among registered voters.
Hart Research Associates/Public Opinion Strategies Study #19433 -- page 16
Late October 2019 NBC News/Wall Street Journal Survey
Among Among
All Asked All Adults
The positive things that Trump would do ............................ 59 17
The negative things that Trump would do .......................... 39 11
Not sure............................................................................ 2 1
Among Among
All Asked All Adults
The positive things that the Democratic candidate would do ........ 65 27
The negative things that the Democratic candidate would do ....... 33 14
Not sure ...................................................................................... 2 1
Q16 How confident are you that Donald Trump has the right set of goals and policies to be president of the United
States––extremely confident, quite confident, only somewhat confident, or not at all confident?
10/27- 10/8-
30/19 12/18 1/18 2/17 12/16 12/15 7/15 3/15 12/14 12/14+
Will get better................ 24 28 35 41 42 24 25 29 31 28
Will get worse ............... 27 33 20 21 19 24 24 21 17 24
Will stay about the same 48 37 43 36 38 50 51 48 51 46
Not sure ...................... 1 2 2 2 1 2 - 2 1 2
Moving on…
Q21A And, based upon what you know today about President Trump’s call and actions related to his discussion with
the Ukrainian president, do you approve or disapprove of the impeachment inquiry being conducted by
Congress to determine if there is enough evidence to remove Donald Trump from office?
Approve................................ 53
Disapprove ........................... 44
Not sure ............................. 3
Q21B And, based on what you have seen, read, or heard, would you say Congress should… (ROTATE)
Among Among
All Asked All Adults
Move to impeach Donald Trump and remove him from office NOW............... 41 20
Continue the impeachment inquiry to gather more evidence .......................... 58 28
Not sure ........................................................................................................ 1 1
Not impeach/Not sure on Q21B .................................................................... NA 51
Among Among
All Asked All Adults
Continue the impeachment inquiry to see if there is more evidence to support removing
Donald Trump from office .............................................................................................. 7 3
Stop the impeachment inquiry and allow Donald Trump to finish his term as president 92 42
Not sure ....................................................................................................................... 1 1
Impeach/Not sure on Q21B.......................................................................................... NA 54
Hart Research Associates/Public Opinion Strategies Study #19433 -- page 20
Late October 2019 NBC News/Wall Street Journal Survey
Q22 Have you seen, read, or heard the news coverage of the death of ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi in a U.S.
military raid in Syria? (IF YES, THEN ASK) And, have you seen, read, or heard a lot or just some about this?
1
Q23 Do you think the death of ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi makes the United States more safe, less safe,
does it have no real impact on the U.S. either way, or do you not have an opinion about this?
Now I am going to ask you a few questions for statistical purposes only.
QF1 A lot of people are unable to get out and vote for many reasons. Did you happen to vote in the November
2016 election for president? (IF “YES,” ASK:) Which of the following statements describes your vote?
(ROTATE STATEMENTS :1-4 TOP TO BOTTOM, BOTTOM TO TOP)
(IF “SOMEONE ELSE,” ASK:) And, was your vote for Gary Johnson, Jill Stein, or someone else? +
Voted for Trump because you liked him or his policies ...................... 23
Voted for Trump because you did not like Clinton or her policies ....... 16
Voted for Clinton because you did not like Trump or his policies ....... 17
Voted for Clinton because you liked her or her policies ..................... 23
Voted for Gary Johnson (VOL) ......................................................... 2
Voted for Jill Stein (VOL) .................................................................. 1
Voted for someone else (VOL) ........................................................ 4
Voted, not sure ................................................................................. 1
No, Did Not Vote ................................................................................ 11
Not sure............................................................................................ 2
+ Results shown reflect responses among registered voters.
QF2 Are you currently employed? (IF "CURRENTLY EMPLOYED," ASK:) What type of work do you do? (RECORD
UNDER "6--OTHER.") (IF "NOT CURRENTLY EMPLOYED," ASK:) Are you a student, a stay-at-home mom
or dad, retired, or unemployed and looking for work?
Currently Employed
Professional, manager ................. 25
White-collar worker ...................... 21
Blue-collar worker ........................ 19
Farmer, rancher ........................... 1
Not Currently Employed
Student ......................................... 3
Stay at home mom/dad ................ 4
Retired.......................................... 24
Unemployed, looking for work ...... 2
Other ............................................ -
Not sure...................................... 1
QF3 What is the last grade that you completed in school? (DO NOT READ CHOICES.)
QF4 Generally speaking, do you think of yourself as a Democrat, a Republican, an independent, or something
else? (IF "DEMOCRAT" OR "REPUBLICAN," ASK:) Would you call yourself a strong (Democrat/Republican)
or not a very strong (Democrat/Republican)? (IF "NOT SURE," CODE AS "NOT VERY STRONG
DEMOCRAT/REPUBLICAN.") (IF "INDEPENDENT," ASK:) Do you think of yourself as closer to the
Republican Party, closer to the Democratic Party, or do you think of yourself as strictly independent? (IF "NOT
SURE," CODE AS "STRICTLY INDEPENDENT.")
QF5 Thinking about your general approach to issues, do you consider yourself to be liberal, moderate, or
conservative? (IF "LIBERAL" OR "CONSERVATIVE," ASK:) Do you consider yourself to be very
(liberal/conservative) or somewhat (liberal/conservative)?
QF6a/b Are you a current or retired labor union member? (ASK ONLY OF RESPONDENTS WHO SAY "NO" OR "NOT
SURE" IN QF6a.) Is anyone else in your household a current or retired labor union member?
QF7 When it comes to staying up with the news, which of these news sources, if any, do you watch or consume
regularly? (RANDOMIZE, ACCEPT MULTIPLE ANSWERS)
QF8 How would you describe your economic circumstances—(ROTATE TOP TO BOTTOM, BOTTOM TO TOP)
poor, working class, middle class, upper middle class, or well-to-do?
Poor................................................ 7
Working class ................................. 24
Middle class ................................... 47
Upper middle class ......................... 17
Well-to-do ....................................... 3
Not sure/refused ........................... 2