Poll Shows Americans Pessimistic Ahead of Midterms
Left 75%
Center 25%
Right 0%
3 left · 1 center · 0 right
What happened
NBC News first reported on 2026-10-18, citing NBC News Decision Desk Poll powered by SurveyMonkey on the record, results from an online survey of 19,135 U.S. adults conducted Sept. 28 to Oct. 12. The poll found 71 percent of adults said the country is on the wrong track, President Donald Trump’s approval rating at 34 percent among adults and 39 percent among registered voters, and registered voters preferring Democrats over Republicans to control Congress 55 percent to 45 percent. The Hill credited NBC News as the origin of the story. First on-record source: NBC News Decision Desk Poll powered by SurveyMonkey (NBC News, 2026-10-18). The survey’s margin of error was plus or minus 2.6 percentage points, and the Nov. 3 midterm elections were weeks away.
Sourcing check · Partly on the record · 4 articles
1 of 3 articles cite a named source for the story. It was on the record from the first report.
What these terms mean and how they're counted
- On the record · names a source 1 of 3
- On the record means the article cites a source by name for the story's main claim: a person, or an institution speaking officially, such as a company statement or a named agency's spokesperson. The opposite is an unnamed source. The count is how many of the counted articles cite at least one such source; the names are everyone named across them, each once however the articles spell it. Here: NBC News Decision Desk Poll powered by SurveyMonkey
- Primary evidence · cites a document or data 1 of 3
- Primary evidence means the article cites a record you could check yourself: a court filing or ruling, a dataset or report, a recording or transcript, an official statement or press release, market data. A quote is not a document. The count is how many articles cite one. Here: poll
- Credits another outlet 1 of 3
- The article says the story comes from another outlet's reporting (“first reported by Reuters”). Those articles relay the story; they are not independent confirmation. Here: NBC News
- Unnamed sources 0 of 3
- The main claim is attributed to people who are not identified: “people familiar with the matter”, “officials said”. The count is how many articles do this.
- How it developed
- When the first report landed and whether it named anyone; when the first named source and the first document appeared. Here: First report Oct 18, 13:00 UTC by NBC News, naming its source. First document 9 hours later, from NBC News (poll).
- Not counted 1
- Opinion, analysis and video pieces, and articles too short to assess. Every count above is out of the counted articles. An article republished under a new headline is one article.
This is about who is cited, not whether the story is true. Each source below says what it names. How we count
ONE-SIDED THIS WEEK.
Only left-leaning outlets have covered this story in the last two days;
Washington Examiner reported it on 2026-10-11.
Omitted — what each side leaves out
Unpacked
Right-leaning outlets had not covered this poll as of publication. Left-leaning coverage reports that the share of adults who say the country is on the wrong track has hit a second-term high. Trump's approval among adults sits at a second-term low in the same NBC News survey. That poll also finds registered voters preferring Democrats for Congress. Americans view the Democratic Party unfavorably as well, a point The Hill's brief item never reaches. A reader of right-leaning outlets is missing the survey entirely.
NBC News opens by calling Americans "deeply unhappy with Trump," while The Hill opens only on the wrong-track share and then stops.
Does any coverage explain how an online sample of adults should be read against the registered-voter congressional preference in the same poll?
Bottom line
NBC News put the wrong-track share at 71 percent and Trump's adult approval at 34 percent; right-leaning outlets had not run the poll.
The receipts — 3 facts one side's coverage lacks
- 71% of U.S. adults think the country is on the wrong track, the highest share in Trump's second term
- 51% strongly disapprove of Trump's performance, a second-term high in the poll
- The survey interviewed 19,135 adults online from Sept. 28 to Oct. 12
The Left View
NBC News and The Hill reported the poll’s 71 percent wrong-track finding as the highest share yet in Trump’s second term. NBC News said respondents expressed unhappiness with economic conditions and distrust of both parties, with Trump and Republicans bearing the brunt: approval 34 percent among adults (66 percent disapprove; 51 percent strongly disapprove), 58 percent saying his policies are hurting the country, and 44 percent saying their finances are worse than a year ago. NBC also reported unfavorable views of both parties (Democrats 57 percent, Republicans 63 percent among adults), 52 percent calling the administration more corrupt than predecessors, and Trump’s issue ratings including 27 percent on cost of living and 43 percent on border security. The Hill framed the wrong-track result as a record high for the second term as midterms approach.
Our Take (balanced)
The story is substantive: it is a named poll with sample size, field dates, margin of error, and specific percentages, not one party’s uncorroborated word. Established is that NBC News published these Decision Desk/SurveyMonkey results on 2026-10-18; the numbers describe that survey’s respondents. Broader claims about national mood are the poll’s measurements, not independently verified records. No right-leaning outlet has reported this. Watch for other firms’ polls with disclosed methodology, any correction or restatement of these figures, and campaign or party responses before Nov. 3.
4 sources
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