Democrats lead Republicans on economic trust among registered voters, 40% to 33%, in a Washington Post-ABC News-Ipsos poll conducted October 9–13. The national findings arrive ahead of November’s congressional elections, alongside a wider Democratic advantage in House voting preferences.
The seven-percentage-point difference is calculated by subtracting 33 from 40. The Washington Post described the result as the first Democratic advantage on this question in its Post-ABC polling since 2014.
That historical comparison concerns one polling series. It should not be read as a claim that Democrats have never led on the economy in another organization’s surveys during that period.
What the economic trust results show
The published crosstabs show that another 23% of registered voters trusted neither party, 4% trusted both equally and 1% skipped the question. Democrats therefore led Republicans without receiving the support of a majority of registered voters.
The questionnaire asked which party respondents trusted to do a better job handling the economy. It measured confidence in the parties, rather than asking respondents to compare specific economic proposals or report their final congressional vote.
Among all U.S. adults, the figures were different: 37% trusted Democrats and 28% trusted Republicans. Another 29% selected neither party, 5% chose both equally and 1% skipped the question.
These results describe different populations within the same survey. The registered-voter comparison should not be presented as the finding for all Americans, and neither group is identical to the people who will ultimately cast ballots.
How the findings compare with July
Ipsos’ July report found the parties nearly even on economic trust among adults, with 33% choosing Democrats and 34% choosing Republicans. That survey ran July 8–13 and included 2,648 adults.
In July, 26% trusted neither party and 7% trusted both. The October adult results show a change in party confidence, while substantial skepticism about both parties remains.
Economic worries were already prominent in the earlier survey. Asked about the most important factors influencing their congressional vote, 54% of registered voters cited the economy and high prices, the most frequently mentioned issues.
The October survey also records dissatisfaction: 75% of adults described the national economy negatively. Nearly half, 48%, said they were financially worse off than when President Donald Trump took office in January 2025.
Democratic House support also increases
ABC News reported that registered voters favored Democratic House candidates over Republicans by 50% to 42%, compared with 48% to 45% in July. Among likely voters, the October result was 52% to 44%.
Those are separate voting-preference questions. They should not be confused with the 40%–33% economic trust result or described as shares of congressional seats already secured.
Democratic supporters also reported greater certainty about participating: 72% said they were absolutely certain to vote, compared with 65% of Republican supporters, according to ABC News.
Hourly Times’ earlier coverage of Trump’s approval and voter concerns before the midterms provides background from a separate AP-NORC survey. Its results should be kept distinct from this poll.
How the poll was conducted
The Washington Post, ABC News and Ipsos jointly sponsored and funded the survey. Ipsos conducted online interviews in English and Spanish through its probability-based KnowledgePanel, with 2,545 adults, including 2,032 registered voters.
The reported sampling margin was plus or minus two percentage points for adults and 2.2 points for registered-voter and likely-voter estimates. The published questionnaire and methodology explain the sample, weighting and response categories.
KnowledgePanel recruits members using probability sampling based on residential addresses. People without internet access receive equipment and service, helping the panel include households that could otherwise be excluded from an online survey. The results are weighted to population benchmarks.
The pollsters caution that comparisons with older telephone surveys can reflect changes in interview method. Sampling error is also only one source of uncertainty.
Congressional control will be decided through individual elections. USAGov explains that all 435 House seats and roughly one-third of Senate seats are regularly contested in midterm years. November’s voting will determine whether the national Democratic advantage becomes a governing majority.
