Survey Says is a weekly collection rounding up a very powerful polling tendencies or knowledge factors you have to find out about, plus a vibe examine on a pattern that’s driving politics or tradition.
Abolish ICE, the erstwhile rallying cry of progressives, is rising from its ashes—and profitable converts.
On Jan. 7, Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent Jonathan Ross fatally shot Renee Good, an unarmed mom of three, in Minneapolis—sparking nationwide outrage. And new knowledge reveals that not solely is the general public more and more open to eliminating ICE, however now extra folks wish to burn it down than reserve it.
Forty-six p.c of People help abolishing ICE, whereas 43% oppose it, in response to the newest YouGov/Economist ballot. An awesome 77% of Democrats help abolition, as does a plurality of independents (47%). Even 14% of Republicans wish to soften ICE.
For anybody accustomed to latest political historical past, this new knowledge alerts a stunning flip of occasions.
Calls for to abolish ICE beforehand hit their apex throughout the summer time of 2018, as the heinous fact of President Donald Trump’s family-separation coverage got here to gentle. However these calls light slowly, then dropped away virtually totally after Joe Biden gained the 2020 presidential election.
Biden’s time period noticed a report variety of border crossings in addition to a racist panic stoked by the Republican Occasion. Consequently, america turned towards immigration, and “abolish ICE” appeared misplaced to the sands of time.
Simply final summer time, solely 27% of People supported abolishing ICE and changing it with one other company, per a YouGov/Economist ballot.
After which, on Jan. 7, an ICE agent killed Good as she drove away from him.
Sixty-nine p.c of People have seen the video of Good’s killing, and one other 22% are accustomed to the video however haven’t seen it, in response to YouGov/Economist. In the meantime, Quinnipiac College’s new ballot discovered that 82% of registered voters have seen the video. And in each polls, round 50% say that the killing was unjustified, whereas round 30% say it was justified—a roughly 20-percentage-point gulf in public opinion.
Past that, simply 31% of People imagine that ICE’s actions are making cities safer, in response to a brand new CNN/SSRS ballot. A majority (51%) say ICE is making cities much less secure, whereas 18% say ICE is having little impact both method. Altogether, this implies that almost 7 in 10 People don’t see a profit to ICE’s brutality.
However will this variation in public opinion result in ICE being reigned in, if not abolished? Perhaps, however positively not earlier than 2029.
There isn’t any likelihood Trump will oversee the dismantling of ICE, so the pro-abolition motion will want endurance to see outcomes. Nonetheless, there’s good motive to imagine Trump will present simply that. Within the days since her slaughter, Trump has attacked Good whereas defending Ross, setting the stage for his gestapo to commit additional atrocities.
That might dig a deeper gap for ICE, which already has the worst favorability ranking among the many 9 authorities companies featured in a latest YouGov survey. Fifty-one p.c of People have an unfavorable view of the company, together with 40% who’ve a “very unfavorable” view. In reality, it’s the one company of the 9 with a net-negative ranking (-12 factors).
Extra broadly, 57% of voters disapprove of the way in which that ICE is implementing immigration legal guidelines, in response to a brand new ballot from Quinnipiac College. However there’s a catch: That’s just about unchanged since July 2025.
So what offers? Why have emotions towards ICE been stagnant whereas help for its abolition has grown?
The reply could also be easy: Many People are self-centered.
Throughout Trump’s first time period and even into the primary 12 months of his second, ICE’s headline barbarities had been primarily towards immigrant households from Latin America. Nonetheless, Good was not solely a U.S. citizen—a undeniable fact that 70% of People are conscious of, per the brand new YouGov/Economist ballot—but in addition a younger, white girl.
For People who may ignore ICE’s brutality towards immigrants—and even for many who opposed it however felt too comfy and secure—Good’s slaying sends a brand new message: If ICE may kill her, it may kill me too.
Any updates?
In a stunning flip of occasions, Trump promoted the not-so-bad concept of capping rates of interest for bank cards, even when his plan is half-baked. So it’s no shock that People are on board: 64% help capping the charges at 10%, and 13% oppose it, per YouGov.
On social media, Trump lately posted a doctored picture of a Wikipedia web page calling him the “performing president of Venezuela” amid his unpopular strikes towards the nation. Nonetheless, the overwhelming majority of the U.S. hopes he’s not severe: 67% of People inform YouGov he ought to not act because the South American nation’s president. Undeterred by this absurd proposition, in addition to eschewing their very own “America first” agenda, 31% of Republicans do again him changing into Venezuela’s president.
This 12 months, all eyes are on Texas’ Senate race, the place two proficient Democrats—state Rep. James Talarico and U.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockett—are vying for his or her celebration’s nomination, whereas all chaos has damaged out within the GOP main. A new ballot from Emerson Faculty/Nexstar Media finds Talarico with a 9-point lead on Crockett. Within the Republican main, scandal-plagued state Lawyer Common Ken Paxton and incumbent Sen. John Cornyn are primarily tied (27% vs. 26%, respectively), with Rep. Wesley Hunt trailing at 16%. Who wins the Republican main can have outsized significance on this election for the reason that ballot reveals Hunt and Cornyn every lead both Democrat in a general-election matchup—however each Talarico and Crockett are tied with Paxton.
Vibe examine
In lieu of our typical Vibe Verify this week, here’s a word from Every day Kos reporter Alex Samuels, the co-creator and -writer of this column:
Proper earlier than the brand new 12 months, YouGov requested People a easy query: Wanting again on 2025, how do you’re feeling about what you achieved?
The solutions had been quietly reassuring. Eighteen p.c mentioned they achieved greater than they’d anticipated, whereas one other 44% mentioned they’d finished about as a lot as they thought they’d. Taken collectively, a transparent majority (62%) ended the 12 months with out remorse—or not less than with out notable disappointment.
I discovered myself someplace between these two camps.
For me, one of many defining experiences of 2025 was beginning a brand new(ish) job at Every day Kos. I technically joined in December 2024, although it already feels for much longer than that. Within the span of a 12 months, I started working alongside an unimaginable crew of writers and editors, cowl my dwelling state of Texas for a nationwide viewers, and co-launch this column, Survey Says, which began as an experiment and shortly grew to become one thing I used to be excited to put in writing each different week.
Masking politics for readers who care concerning the knowledge and the stakes has been a uncommon privilege—and so has attending to know this group. That’s why this word is a bittersweet one.
This previous week was my final at Every day Kos.
Proper now, I can’t say an excessive amount of about my subsequent chapter, however I hope to share extra quickly on my socials (Bluesky and X). What I can say is that I’ll nonetheless be masking Texas, and I hope to maintain constructing the type of engaged readership that makes this place so particular.
Survey Says is in nice arms as Andrew takes over full-time, and I’m genuinely wanting ahead to studying it from the opposite facet.
That mentioned, I doubt I’ll disappear from right here totally. I’ll doubtless be again, quietly studying alongside and rooting for my pals/former colleagues.
Thanks for studying and for trusting me along with your time. Right here’s hoping that once we all look again on 2026, much more of us can say we did about as a lot as—or just a little greater than—we anticipated.
