New Marquette Law School national survey finds public skeptical of tariffs and inflation trends, but increasingly positive on the nation’s direction

Large majority oppose Canada becoming 51st state and oppose abolishing Department of Education, while support for deportations remains strong Also: Public views Russia, China negatively; Canada, Ukraine positively Trump job approval dips slightly since January, majorities disapprove of Musk Disapproval of Democratic Party and Democrats in Congress has increased and is stronger than disapproval of Republicans Partisan differences remain strong on almost every issue MILWAUKEE – In the run up to threatened new tariffs, a new Marquette Law School Poll national survey finds 58% of adults think tariffs hurt the U.S. economy, while 28% say tariffs help the economy and 14% say they don’t make much difference. Slightly more than half of Republicans, 52%, think tariffs help the economy, but 58% of independents say they hurt the economy, as do 89% of Democrats. The public is increasingly skeptical of how the economy will fare, in terms of inflation, in response to President Donald Trump’s policies generally. A majority of adults, 58%, think Trump’s policies will increase inflation, 30% think his policies will decrease inflation, and 12% think they will have no effect on inflation. Among Republicans, 62% think the policies will decrease inflation, a decline from 70% in late January and from 76% in December. Only 16% of independents think inflation will decrease, compared to 26% in January and 28% in December. Ninety-two percent of Democrats say Trump’s policies will increase inflation, an increase from 85% who said that in January and 82% in December. Trump’s national job approval declined slightly in this late March survey to 46%, with 54% disapproval. In January, 48% approved and 52% disapproved. Trump continues to enjoy high approval among Republicans, 87%, hardly changed from 89% in January. His approval has slipped somewhat among independents, to 32%, down from 37%. Approval among Democrats is 10% in March compared to 9% in January. Approval of how Elon Musk is handling his work in the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) stands at 41%, with disapproval at 58%. Musk’s personal favorability is 38%, with 60% unfavorable. The survey was conducted March 17-27, 2025, interviewing 1,021 adults nationwide, with a margin of error of +/-3.5 percentage points. Across lines of race, education, and gender, more people think tariffs will hurt rather than help the economy. The sole exception is white, non-college-educated men, one of Trump’s strongest supporting groups with 67% reporting having voted for Trump in November. Among this core of Trump’s support, 44% say tariffs help the economy and 40% say they hurt the economy. Among all other categories of race, education, and gender, more think the economy will be hurt rather than helped, as shown in Table 1. Large majorities of college-educated white people of either sex and all categories of non-white people expect damage to the economy. A plurality of non-college white women agree, though a quarter don’t think there will be much of an effect. Table 1: Effect of tariffs on the economy, by race, education and gender Among adults  Effect of tariffsRace, education, genderHelps…

A month before the election, large percentages of registered voters lack opinions of candidates for Wisconsin Supreme Court, state superintendent of public instruction

Although both races are nonpartisan, substantial partisan differences exist in views of the candidates, majority of voters aware balance of the state Supreme Court will be affected Also: Trump’s job performance: 48% approve, 51% disapprove Wisconsin voters overall are skeptical of tariffs and DOGE Large partisan divides shape opinion on most policy issues MILWAUKEE – A new Marquette Law School Poll survey of Wisconsin finds that large percentages of registered voters remain unfamiliar with the candidates for the Wisconsin Supreme Court and the state superintendent of public instruction less than a month before the April 1 elections. Among registered voters, 38% don’t offer an opinion on state Supreme Court candidate Brad Schimel, former state Attorney General, saying they haven’t heard enough about him or they don’t know if they have a favorable or unfavorable opinion of him. Considerably more, 58%, say they don’t have an opinion of Schimel’s opponent, Susan Crawford. In the election for state superintendent of public instruction, 64% lack an opinion of incumbent Jill Underly and 71% haven’t heard enough about her opponent, Brittany Kinser. This Marquette Law School Poll survey was conducted Feb. 19-26, 2025, interviewing 864 Wisconsin registered voters, with a margin of error of +/-4.6 percentage points. To cover more topics a number of items were asked of a random half-sample of 432 registered voters with a margin of error of +/-6.6 percentage points. Awareness of the candidates is greater among those who say both that they are certain to vote in the election and that they are very enthusiastic about voting. Table 1 shows the relationship between certainty of voting and enthusiasm for each candidate, as well as the favorable and unfavorable opinions for each. Those very enthusiastic to vote are somewhat more familiar with each candidate than the separately measured group of those who say they are certain to vote. Schimel is the best-known candidate, followed by Crawford, Underly, and Kinser for both those certain to vote and those very enthusiastic. Kinser has the most positive net favorability, followed by Crawford, Underly, and Schimel. Table 1: Favorability, by certain to vote and by enthusiasm Among registered voters InvolvementFavorabilityNet favorabilityFavorableUnfavorableNot heard enough/DKBrad SchimelAbsolutely certain to vote-3374023Less than certain to vote-4162064     Very enthusiastic-1414217Somewhat enthusiastic or less-4212554Susan CrawfordAbsolutely certain to vote0272746Less than certain to vote-1061679     Very enthusiastic1313039Somewhat enthusiastic or less-891774Jill UnderlyAbsolutely certain to vote-5222751Less than certain to vote-45985     Very enthusiastic-2252748Somewhat enthusiastic or less-691576Brittany KinserAbsolutely certain to vote7231661Less than certain to vote-63988     Very enthusiastic11281755Somewhat enthusiastic or less-461083Marquette Law School Poll, Wisconsin survey, latest: Feb. 19-26, 2025Question: Do you have a favorable or unfavorable opinion of [INSERT NAME] or haven't you heard enough about them yet?Question: Certainty about voting: What are the chances that you will vote in the April 2025 elections for Wisconsin Supreme Court, state Superintendent of Public Instruction and other offices-- are you absolutely certain to vote, very likely to vote, are the chances 50-50, don't you think you will vote?Question: Enthusiasm: How enthusiastic are you about voting in the elections in April 2025 for Wisconsin Supreme Court,…