The William J. Hughes Center for Public Policy at Stockton University is out with a new poll examining voters’ feelings about the second Trump administration.

The poll, taken from March 18-22, surveyed 702 New Jersey voters – with a margin of error of +/- 3.7%.

Key findings from the poll include:

• 54% think the country is headed in the wrong direction; 37% feel things are on the right track
• 52% say President Donald Trump is doing a poor job; 26% feel he is doing an excellent job, 11% good and 8% average
• 62% think the economy is getting worse; 30% believe it’s getting better
• 55% either strongly or somewhat disapprove of Trump; 44% approve at least somewhat
• 53% disapprove of Vice President J.D. Vance; 39% approve
• 59% disapprove of special government employee, and billionaire businessman, Elon Musk; 37% approve
• 51% at least somewhat support recent efforts to reduce federal spending
• 45% support cutting staff who work for the federal government; 51% oppose
• 36% support the current administration’s methods for cutting jobs; 60% oppose
• 19% have been impacted personally by recent spending cuts; 70% said they have not
• On top issues facing the country
  • 35% said the economy, inflation or cost of living
  • 13% said authoritarianism or threats to democracy
  • 9% said border security or restricting immigration

The full poll results are available here.

Even worse for Dems?

“The economy was the top priority for voters going into the November election, and Trump made it central to his campaign – so this pessimism eight weeks in is a big vulnerability for this administration,” said Hughes Center Head of Research Alyssa Maurice.

She noted that while voters may not be pleased with this Republican administration, Democrats may be in an even weaker position.

According to the poll, while majorities express dissatisfaction with both parties in Congress, among their own voters, Democrats’ approval rating (34% approve; 63% disapprove) fared worse than Republicans (83% at least somewhat approve; 12% disapprove).

“Many of the people who cited concerns about the state of our democracy as their main issue also mentioned their frustration with the Democratic party’s response to these threats,” said Maurice.

She pointed to the findings above on top issues facing the country. “We’re seeing that frustration borne out in the abysmal approval ratings for congressional Democrats from their own voters.”

Voters were also asked: