Fewer Republican voters said the U.S. is headed in the right direction following the recent killing of conservative activist Charlie Kirk in Utah, according to a survey released Friday.
The new Associated Press (AP)-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research poll found that now over half of GOP voters, 51 percent, think the country is heading in the wrong direction. In June, the figure was 29 percent.
The bump has contributed to now a larger share of U.S. adults saying the nation is steering in the wrong direction, going from 62 percent in June to 75 percent now, according to the survey. The numbers among Democrats have not changed much since most of them have said the U.S. is headed in the wrong direction since President Trump won the 2024 presidential election last November, the pollster noted.
Kirk was shot and killed last Wednesday while addressing attendees at Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah. After a manhunt, authorities have identified Tyler Robinson, a 22-year-old Utah resident, as the alleged suspect. The state of Utah is seeking the death penalty against Robinson.
Opinions among Republicans are split depending on age and gender. GOP voters under the age of 45 are more likely to say the country is off track, 61 percent, than older voters, 43 percent.
Republican women are more likely, 60 percent, than men, 43 percent, to say the nation is headed on the wrong path, according to the poll.
The survey found that Trump’s best issue is handling of border security, 55 percent approval, and crime, 46 percent. About four-in-10 respondents approve of his handling of trade, economy, the Israel-Hamas war, immigration and health care.
Trump’s approval rating is at 39 percent, according to the poll. Another 60 percent disapprove.
A recent YouGov/Economist poll also found the president’s approval rating to be at 39 percent, down 2 points from the previous iteration of the survey. About 57 percent of Americans disapproved.
The AP-NORC survey was conducted from Sept. 11-15 among 1,183 adults. The margin of error was 3.9 percentage points.
