A majority of Americans say Tuesday’s State of the Union address will take on increased importance this year, with many eager to hear President Donald Trump’s plans for an economy they feel has yet to improve under his leadership, a Scripps News/Talker Research Poll finds.
More than three-quarters of Americans say they are interested in the president’s address, with 66% saying the speech is more important in 2026 than in previous years, according to the poll.
And nearly half the country (47%), says they are most interested in hearing Trump talk about the economy, followed by a tie between inflation and the cost of goods, and immigration and ICE (44%).
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Also of high interest will be the president’s message on trade and tariffs, with 32% calling it a top issue. The survey was conducted before the Supreme Court ruled Trump’s sweeping tariff policies had exceeded his authority.
The speech comes as many Americans say the president has failed to deliver on the economic promises he made during the 2024 campaign. On the campaign trail, Trump often promised improvements beginning “day one” of his second term. Now 13 months since Inauguration Day, seven-in-ten say inflation and the cost of living has either not changed or gotten worse.
The president is underwater on nearly every one of the 12 issues polled, with more Americans saying things have gotten worse than have gotten better since January 2025. After inflation, health care and climate are tied for the issues Trump has gotten his lowest marks.
Immigration is his best issue, with 42% saying things have gotten better, versus 36% who say the issue has gotten worse.
But ICE’s aggressive tactics and the shooting deaths of two Americans in Minnesota remain top of mind for the president’s detractors. A “drawdown of ICE activities” ranked first among a list of actions to the president could take to win over skeptical Americans. Ending the trade war, releasing all Epstein related documents, and pledging not to run for a third term also ranked high on the list.
Though a majority (52%) of those who disapprove of the president said there is nothing he could do to change their minds.
The State of the Union comes towards the start of a midterm elections season that could dictate the final years of Trump’s time in office. The survey shows Democrats with a 6-point edge (42/36%) in the generic congressional ballot.
But the high interest in Tuesday’s speech also presents an opportunity to appeal to a massive audience. Majorities of Democrats, Republicans, and independents say they plan to pay attention to what Trump says in the speech, though Republicans (51%) are by far the most likely to watch live.
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Overall, one-in-three Americans say they will watch the speech live, with 19% saying they will read or watch news reports after, 14% planning to watch clips on social media, and 6% saying they will talk to friends or family.
Twenty-eight percent of respondents say they will tune it out, including 37% of Democrats.
Survey Methodology
This random double-opt-in online survey of 1,000 nationally representative Americans was commissioned by Scripps News and conducted by market research company Talker Research, in accordance with the Market Research Society’s code of conduct. Data was collected from Feb. 13 to Feb. 19, 2026. The margin of error is +/- 3.10 points with 95% confidence.