Registered voters express broad dissatisfaction with political leadership in the United States. Many say neither the Republican Party nor the Democratic Party is able to solve important problems nor is focused on helping people like them, and 68% see President Trump as too extreme. While more voters say they trust the Democratic Party than the Republican Party to handle the cost of living (38% vs. 27%), a sizeable portion, 27%, say they trust neither party to do a good job.
Few voters say either party is adept at solving problems. Fifty-five percent of voters think the Republican party is not able to solve important problems, while 48% say the same of the Democratic Party.
Nearly half of voters say the word “corrupt” describes the Republican Party “extremely” or “very well” while 37% say the same about the Democratic Party.
More voters say the Republican Party is focused on helping the rich and powerful than say the same about the Democratic Party. Six in 10 say this describes the Republican Party “extremely” or “very well,” compared with 32% who say the same about the Democratic party. Few voters believe either party is focused on helping people like them.
When it comes to which party they trust to do a better job handling a range of issues, voters are split, and many say they don’t trust either party.
Voters are more likely to say they trust the Democratic Party than the Republican Party to do a better job handling health care, transgender issues, foreign policy, the economy, and the cost of living. In contrast, voters are split on which party is more trustworthy when it comes to immigration and artificial intelligence.
Sixty-eight percent of voters describe Trump as too extreme, including a third of Republicans. The Republican party is seen as too extreme by 55% of voters, and 45% say the Democratic party is too extreme. Forty-six percent of Democrats consider their own party as too moderate.
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The nationwide poll was conducted September 24-28, 2026, using the AmeriSpeak® Panel, the probability-based panel of NORC at the University of Chicago. Online and telephone interviews using landlines and cell phones were conducted with 1,766 adults of whom say they are registered to vote. The overall margin of sampling error for voters is +/-3.1 percentage points.
- Suggested Citation: AP-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. “Few voters see either the Republican Party or the Democratic Party as able to solve important problems or help people like them.” (September 2026). https://apnorc.org/projects/few-voters-see-either-the-republican-party-or-the-democratic-party-as-able-to-solve-important-problems-or-help-people-like-them/
