A new Fox News poll released Thursday indicates that, despite some erosion in the Republican Party’s strengths on key issues, voters still tend to believe the GOP has a more clear plan for addressing the country’s problems. While the Democratic Party has gained ground on several key issues like climate change, healthcare, and education, the Republicans remain viewed as more competent in areas such as national security, immigration, and government spending. However, majorities of voters feel neither party has a solid strategy for the country, with more than half of respondents indicating dissatisfaction with both parties’ approaches to governance.
The survey, which was conducted between July 18 and 21, 2025, shows that by a 10-point margin, more voters think the Republicans have a clear plan for the U.S. than the Democrats: 43% vs. 33%. Still, majorities feel neither the GOP (54%) nor the Democrats (64%) have a plan. This is about where sentiment was three years ago, the last time the question was asked. A significant portion of voters, at least two-thirds of independents, feel neither party has a clear plan, but more trust the GOP (30% vs. 25%).
While the Republicans still maintain an edge in their traditional strengths, the survey also indicates some noticeable shifts in public perception. Far more Republicans (79%) than Democrats (51%) are confident their party has a clear plan, and that’s what hurts the Democrats. Although the parties are rated about equally on inflation (+1D), gun policy (even), the economy (+1R), and foreign policy (+3R), the GOP continues to hold more favorable views on national security (by 14 points), immigration (+6R), and government spending (+5R), while the Democratic Party is favored on climate change (by 23 points), healthcare (+19D), social security (+17D), and education (+15D).
Compared to 2023, support for the GOP has declined in certain areas. Support on immigration is down by 4 points, national security by 6, government spending by 6, foreign policy by 9, and the economy by 14. Additionally, the GOP’s 12-point advantage on inflation has disappeared, as Democrats now have a 1-point edge. Meanwhile, the Democrats have seen a 12-point increase in support on education, with voters who have been split on who would better handle the issue shifting toward the Democratic Party. This shift can largely be attributed to self-identified Democrats solidifying their preference for their party’s handling of the issues, as well as independents lessening their support for Republicans or switching to Democrats.
Self-identified Republicans continue to express high levels of support for their party on the issues. Republican pollster Daron Shaw, who conducts the Fox News survey with Democrat Chris Anderson, notes that independents and even some Democrats have soured on President Biden and the Democratic Congress by 2023 and 2024, but have shifted to the left in 2025 in response to the policies of President Trump and the Republicans. Shaw suggests that this shift is partly performance-related, as the GOP lacks obvious economic and foreign policy victories, leading independents and soft Democrats to potentially drift to the left, which could reshape the electoral landscape heading into 2026.
Overall, views of both major political parties are underwater. By 2 points, the Republican Party has a slightly better favorable rating (44% favorable) than the Democratic Party (42%), but more than half view both parties negatively (56% and 57% unfavorable, respectively). This is relatively unchanged since April. The Republican Party enjoys more support among their party faithful (83% have a favorable view) than the Democratic Party (78% favorable). Seven in 10 independents have a negative view of both parties, reflecting a broad sense of dissatisfaction with the current political climate. The results of the survey suggest that while there are differences in how the parties are viewed on specific policies, the overall perception of both parties remains largely negative, with voters expressing a lack of confidence in either side’s ability to lead the nation effectively.