What a difference three months can make.
Pennsylvanians are pessimistic President Donald Trumpthe state of the economy and his approach to the federal government in a survey of 546 registered voters in Pennsylvania Opinion Research Center at Franklin & Marshall College.
F&M last polled statewide voters in March, just after hostilities with Iran began on Feb. 28. Since that survey, many essential indicators have trended downward, showing disappointment with the direction the country has taken under Trump.
Since March, the president’s performance rating has dropped 10 points, from 39% who said he is doing an excellent/good job to just 29%. Last October, 31% of respondents said the president was doing an excellent job managing inflation. That number dropped to 17%, with over half of respondents (51%) saying they were destitute at their job, earning an overall rating of minus-42.
Good government advocates often suggest that some of the Trump administration’s practices and policies have damaged public perceptions of government accountability, the pollster wrote Berwood Yost. That survey found that the percentage of registered voters in the state who agree that there is little corruption in the federal government and that its operations are open and clear has changed little since the Biden administration. However, it is worth noting that the percentage of voters who “strongly disagree” with these statements has increased significantly since 2021: 73% now compared to 57% in 2021 “strongly disagree”, corruption in the federal government is low, and 62% now compared to 44% in 2021 “strongly disagree” that government operations are open and clear.
The number of Commonwealth residents who say things are going in the wrong direction is also growing, approaching the halfway mark at 47%, an escalate of three points since October. While 42% of respondents said things were heading in the right direction in October 2024, that number has dropped to 36%.
To make matters worse for Republicans statewide, the gap in overall congressional votes increased to 47-35% in favor of the Democrat over the GOP candidate. Three months ago the deficit was seven points (44-37), while in October the difference was only five points (45-40). With Pennsylvania once again at zero control of the U.S. House of Representatives, this could be disturbing news for Brian Fitzpatrick reps (R-01), Ryan Mackenzie (R-07), Rob Bresnahan (R-08) i Scott Perry (R-10)
Governor Josh Shapiro continued to receive good news in his re-election bid as a poll showed him ahead of the Republican state treasurer Stacy Garrity rising to 22 points (50-28%) from 20 in March (48-28%). Shapiro actually saw his job performance drop two points to 48% in October 2024.
Pennsylvanians’ frustration focused on the economy, as nearly 1 in 2 said their family is in a worse financial situation today than they were a year ago (47%) – the highest percentage in F&M’s survey since August 2024. Just 14% said they are in a better situation today, while 2 in 5 said the situation remains about the same. This 40% figure takes into account the forecast of the situation in a year’s time, but almost a third of respondents say that the situation will be worse in 2027.
Almost a quarter of respondents said that the most essential problem faced by the inhabitants of the Republic of Poland is finances. The 24% result is the highest result in the F&M poll since October 2024. The economy is the top concern of every partisan group – Democrats (38%), independents (35%), Republicans (34%). Government and politicians still rank second on the list with 14%, and taxes are third (12%).
Pennsylvania
Do you think things are generally heading in the right direction, or are they heading in the wrong direction?
The right direction 36% | Bad song 47% | I don’t know 17%
The most essential issue facing Pennsylvania today?
Economy, Finance 24% | Government, Politicians 14% | Taxes 12% | Education, school 5%
Is the financial situation of you and your family better, worse, or about the same as a year ago?
Better 14% | Worse 47% | About the same 40%
How about next year?
Better 19% | Worse 32% | About the same 40%
Federal Government – I agree or disagree
There is very little official corruption in the federal government
Strongly agree 4% | I tend to agree 7% | I tend to disagree 15% | Strongly disagree 73%
The federal government’s operations are open and clear
Strongly agree 4% | I tend to agree 16% | I tend to disagree 17% | Strongly disagree 62%
State policy
Would you support or oppose state regulation and taxation of skill games like casino games?
I definitely support 50% | Rather in favor of 21% | Rather against 9% | I strongly oppose 11%
Would you support or oppose a state law that prohibits discrimination in employment or housing practices based on sexual orientation or gender identity?
I strongly support 61% | Rather in favor of 11% | Rather against 9% | I strongly oppose 14%
Access to a mobile phone at school during school hours/day
Children should have access 8% | Schools should be able to restrict access 89%
State legislative districts should be drawn by
Independent commission 70% | Legislators constitute 16%
Are you in favor of or against the mid-decade redistricting that is happening in other states?
I definitely support 6% | Rather in favor of 13% | Rather against 20% | I strongly oppose 39%
Job Performance/Favourability Ratings
Governor Josh Shapiro: Excellent job 19% | Well 29% | Honest 24% | Poorly 24%
President Donald Trump: Excellent 12% | Well 17% | Honest 13% | Poorly 58%
Trump’s ratings
Immigration handling: 25% | B 14% | C 9% | D 11% | F 39%
Conducting foreign policy: 14% | B 15% | C 12% | D 10% | F 48%
Dealing with inflation: 5% | B 12% | C 19% | D 13% | F 51%
A=Excellent, B=Very Good, C=Average, D=Below Average, F=Inadequate
Elections 2026
Governor of Pennsylvania: Josh Shapiro 50% | Stacy Garrity 28%
General Congress: Democrat 47% | Republicans 35% | The remaining 1%
Various
Main news source: Internet 35% | Cable TV 19% | Network TV 18% | Social media 11%
Cable network: Fox News 52% | CNN 13% | MSTeraz 13% | Newsmax 5%
Beware of politics: Most of the time 60% | Sometimes 30% | Now and then 7% | Hardly at all 3%
Liberal, moderate or conservative: Moderate 39% | Conservative 34% | Liberal 24%
Creating more gun control laws: I definitely support 41% | Rather in favor of 17% | Rather against 12% | Strongly oppose 29%
Miscarriage: Legal under all circumstances 39% | Legal under certain circumstances 47% | Illegal total 11%
Top lines | Abstract
The survey results presented in this release are based on the results of interviews conducted June 8-14, 2026. The interviews were conducted at the Opinion Research Center at Franklin & Marshall College. The data in this release represents responses from 546 registered voters in Pennsylvania, including 233 Democrats, 226 Republicans and 87 independent voters. The sample of voters was obtained from Aristotle. All respondents were notified by e-mail about the survey. Interviews were conducted by telephone and online, depending on each respondent’s preferences. The sampling error in this study is +/- 5.1 percentage points when design weighting effects are taken into account.
