F&M poll: Pennsylvanians say government, politicians biggest problem facing state

As the Pennsylvania state budget impasse reaches day #101, residents say that politicians and the government are the biggest problem facing the Keystone State, according to a Franklin & Marshall College poll.

Nearly 1 in 4 respondents (23%) said that government is the most important problem – up from 10% just one year ago. In October 2024, 30 percent of those polled said it was the economy and finances that the state needed to deal with most. That number fell to 12% this time around.

Individually, 1 in 6 respondents (16%) said they were better off financially than a year ago, while 36% indicated they were worse off. Nearly half of those polled (48%) said things were about the same.

The 36 percent that said they were worse off was the lowest percentage tabulated by F&M since an April 2022 survey.

On the flip side, 27 percent said they would be worse off a year from now – double the figure from last October – while an equal number (24%) said they would be better off.

Governor

For the second time in a week, Gov. Josh Shapiro received high marks for his handling of the job as the state’s chief executive, as 51% gave him excellent (24%) or good marks (27%). The 51% equals Shapiro’s August 2024 total and is the second-best grade the governor has received in the F&M survey since a 54% approval in April 2024.

A quarter of the respondents said he was doing only a fair job, while 15% gave Shapiro a failing grade. That 15% number is the lowest recorded since February 2024 (14%).

President

President Donald Trump‘s favorability would still be considered under water after the first nine months in his second stint in the White House. Nearly 1 in 4 (24%) said Trump is doing an excellent job as president, while an additional 17% say it’s a good job. Before he was defeated by former President Joe Biden in the 2020 election, 42% gave Trump good marks.

The counterbalance are Trump’s negatives, as half of those surveyed (50%) said the chief executive is doing a poor job, while eight percent say he is doing a fair job. That works out to a minus-17 (41-58) favorability mark. It is a marked improvement compared to September 2017 during Trump’s first months in the White House, when the rating was minus-42 (29-71).

PA Supreme Court Retention

Respondents to the survey admitted that the majority did not know how they would cast their vote to retain Pennsylvania Supreme Court Justices Christine Donohue, Kevin Dougherty, and David Wecht.

• Donohue | Yes 31% | No 27% | Do Not Know 43%
• Dougherty | Yes 27% | No 19% | Do Not Know 51%
• Wecht | Yes 25% | No 21% | Do Not Know 55%

One Big Beautiful Bill

Pennsylvanians are not enamored with the tax and budget bill known as One Big Beautiful Bill, with more than half (51%) opposing the bill, while 40% somewhat or strongly favor the actions in it. 

Once again, 50% of respondents think the passage of the bill will make life worse for most Americans, as opposed to 39% that believe it will better life.

When it comes to how the bill would affect those surveyed individually, 23% believe that the One Big Beautiful Bill will make their family better off, while 3 in 10 (31%) say it will make life worse. Thirty-five (35%) percent say, in the end, things will be about the same.

Artificial Intelligence

Those Pennsylvanians surveyed have not really jumped on the AI train, as just 1 in 12 (8%) use artificial intelligencer every day, while an additional 11% use it most days. Nearly 3 in 5 (59%) said they rarely or never use AI computer programs in their work.

Nearly three-quarters (71%) express trepidation over AI with 30% very nervous and an additional 41% somewhat nervous. Just four percent – or 1 in 25 respondents – were excited about recent developments in AI.

When it comes to federal regulation of AI, 79 percent of those surveyed agree that companies should be closely observed and regulated. But Pennsylvanians do not think the feds are equipped to regulate AI if it decides to (72%).

Miscellaneous

• How Democracy Works in the U.S.
  • 35% satisfied | 64% dissatisfied
• Congress as a Co-Equal Branch of Government
  • Exercising powers appropriately 31% | Given Up Too Much Power 60%
• Courts as a Co-Equal Branch of Government
  • Exercising powers appropriately 34% | Given Up Too Much Power 56%
• Has Trump’s Actions Stayed Within Constitutional Authority?
  • Stayed Within 34% | Pushed Boundaries 15% | Overstepped 49%
• Trump: Creating New Jobs
  • Excellent 18% | Very Good 18% | Average 15% | Below Average 15% | Failing 30%
• Trump: Handling Immigration
  • Excellent 35% | Very Good 12% | Average 8% | Below Average 9% | Failing 35%
• Trump: Handling Foreign Policy
  • Excellent 27% | Very Good 15% | Average 8% | Below Average 10% | Failing 38%
• Trump: Dealing With Inflation
  • Excellent 11% | Very Good 20% | Average 17% | Below Average 13% | Failing 39%

• How Closely Are You Following News About …
  • The Epstein Files?
    • 23% very closely | 44% somewhat closely | 33% not too closely | 10% not at all
  • Administration’s Immigration and Deportation Activities?
    • 48% very closely | 42% somewhat closely | 8% not too closely | 2% not at all
• Are You Registered as a Republican, Democrat, Independent or as something else?
  • Republican 42% | Democrat 43% | Independent 15%
• Did You Change Your Party Affiliation in the Past Year?
  • Yes 6% | No 93%
• Interest Level in 2025 Elections
  • Very Interested 50% | Somewhat Interested 36% | Not Very Interested 14%
• Primary Source For News
  • Internet 35% | Cable TV 22% | Network TV 16% | Social Media 13% | Newspaper 5%
• Cable Network You Rely On Most
  • Fox News 52% | MSNBC 15% | CNN 13% | Other 12% | NewsMax 6%
• Favor or Oppose Laws Regulating Gun Ownership
  • Strongly Favor 44% | Somewhat Favor 17% | Somewhat Oppose 12% | Strongly Oppose 25%
• Abortion and Its Legality
  • Legal, Any Circumstance 36% | Legal, Certain Circumstances 52% | Illegal 11%

The survey findings presented in this release are based on the results of interviews conducted September 24 – October 5, 2025. The interviews were conducted at the Center for Opinion Research at Franklin & Marshall College. The data included in this release represent the responses of 929 registered Pennsylvania voters, including 399 Democrats, 390 Republicans, and 140 independents.[1] The sample of voters was obtained from Aristotle. All sampled respondents were notified by mail about the survey. Interviews were completed over the phone and online depending on each respondent’s preference. Survey results were weighted (age, gender, education, geography, vote history, and party registration) using an iterative weighting algorithm to reflect the known distribution of those characteristics. Estimates for age, geography, and party registration are based on active voters within the Pennsylvania Department of State’s voter registration data. Gender and education are estimated using data from the November 2022 CPS Voter Registration Supplement.

The sample error for this survey is +/- 4.0 percentage points when the design effects from weighting are considered. In addition to sampling error, this poll is also subject to other sources of non-sampling error. Generally speaking, two sources of error concern researchers most. Non-response bias is created when selected participants either choose not to participate in the survey or are unavailable for interviewing. Response errors are the product of the question and answer process. Surveys that rely on self-reported behaviors and attitudes are susceptible to biases related to the way respondents process and respond to survey questions.

Steve Ulrich is managing editor of Politics PA.