America's wits' end election approaches

Data: AP-NORC; Chart: Avery Lotz/Axios A quartet of polls out this week carry a stark message: Americans feel disgruntled, dizzy and down on the man in the White House. Why it matters: The vibes going into the midterms are bleak, with a large majority of voters wanting significant change. But the question remains whether those sentiments will drive them to the polls. Driving the news: Nearly two-thirds of Americans rate the economy negatively, per a Fox News poll out Wednesday. Seven in ten voters say they feel like things in the country are out of control, per a The Economist/YouGov survey conducted October 10-12. And eight in ten, new AP/NORC polling found, want to see either "substantial change" or "complete and total upheaval" in how the country is run. Among Republicans, 58% share those sentiments. Zoom out: That national angst appears to be dragging down the president's approval. Fox News found that Trump's approval rating on inflation, which picked up last month, is at a new low: 22%. His overall job approval rating has also fallen to a new floor in Fox News surveys for either term: 36%. Fox says that drop is largely driven by voters under 45, those with household incomes below $50,000, non-white voters and those without a college degree. The White House did not immediately respond to Axios' request for comment. Yes, but: Polling suggests that disgruntlement doesn't necessarily translate into a wellspring of positive energy toward Democrats. Far more voters say they're somewhat or very pessimistic about the Democratic Party's future (47%) than those who say they're optimistic (21%), per AP/NORC. About half say they're pessimistic about Republicans' future, while around 23% say they're optimistic. Still, Fox found that if the election were held today, 54% of voters would back the Democrat in their House district, while 45% would support the Republican — a wider lead for Dems than the prior month. Plus, Fox found that Republicans have lost ground to Democrats in earning voters' trust on key issues like inflation and foreign policy. Between the lines: Republicans know that they're playing defense in an uphill midterm battle. They have flooded the airwaves in once-safe states and are pulling ads in those that look like a lost cause, Axios' Hans Nichols reports. But it's not smooth sailing for Democratic leadership — they are still navigating tough races and risk welcoming a new, rebellious caucus to Washington that says it's willing to buck the party. The bottom line: Pollsters don't have crystal balls — and whether Americans' discontent translates into a midterm upheaval will only be clear after votes are cast. Go deeper: Americans are losing faith in their fellow voters Methodology: The AP/NORC poll was conducted October 8-12, 2026. Online and telephone interviews using landlines and cell phones were conducted with 1,119 adults. The overall margin of sampling error is +/-3.9 percentage points. The Econmist/YouGov poll was conducted October 10-12, 2026, with 1,403 U.S. registered voters surveyed via web-based interviews. The overall margin of sampling error is +/-3.5 percentage points. The Fox News poll was conducted October 9-12, 2026 under the joint direction of Beacon Research (D) and Shaw & Company Research (R), with 1,202 registered voters nationwide. Respondents spoke with live interviewers on landlines (114) and cellphones (786) or completed the survey online by following a link received via text message (302). The overall margin of sampling error is +/-2.5 percentage points.

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