The Gallup Podcast

President Donald Trump has made the issue of trade and tariffs a centerpiece of his recent policymaking -- but it’s not necessarily one Americans know a lot about. This episode explores new data measuring Americans’ attitudes and beliefs about trade policy with Gallup Senior Scientist Justin Wolfers, professor of economics and public policy at the University of Michigan. Dr. Wolfers offers his take on how views on trade are formed, what the state of international trade looks like today and how Trump’s executive actions square with the consensus of economists. Later, what percentage of Americans believe that legal immigration is a good thing for the country?

How do statements made by public officials stack up against public opinion? Sarah Huckabee Sanders says her credibility is higher than the media’s but is that true? Bill Clinton contends that two-thirds of the American people stayed with him after the Monica Lewinsky scandal, but is that exactly what happened? The Department of Justice watchdog report focused on Hillary Clinton’s emails during her 2016 presidential campaign, but how big of a factor were the emails in her loss? And later, do Americans think it’s easier to raise a girl or a boy?

Abortion remains one of the nation’s most contentious policy issues, and Americans’ views on the subject are essentially fixed -- changing little over past decades. Gallup Senior Editor Lydia Saad explores the intricacies of Americans’ views on legal restrictions on abortion, how the trimester timeline changes views on abortion, and how opinions on the subject vary by demographic group. Later, what percentage of Americans say they would like to be rich? And how has this figure changed over Gallup’s 28-year trend?

Many Americans don’t think about retirement until it looms in their immediate future. So ow confident are Americans that they will have enough money when they retire? And how much are they relying on Social Security and 401(k)s? When is the ideal time to withdraw from Social Security? And what can we do to increase Americans’ financial literacy? Annamaria Lusardi, Denit Trust Chair of Economics & Accountancy at the George Washington University School of Business, joins the podcast to discuss these questions and others. And later, are Americans already accepting the fact that gas prices are going to go up even higher this year?

Why is it important that we measure the number of people in the U.S. who identify as LGBT? And what are the challenges involved in measuring this population? Dr. Gary Gates, one of the nation’s most renowned experts on the geography and demography of the LGBT population and coauthor of The Gay & Lesbian Atlas, joins the podcast to explain the significance of these measures and to discuss the changes Gallup has seen over hundreds of thousands of interviews since 2012. Later, Gallup’s Chief Methodologist Stephanie Marken describes in-depth how Gallup has partnered with UCLA to tackle the unique challenge of measuring the transgender population.

This week, Dr. Frank Newport examines in-depth five key aspects of current American public opinion. What’s behind Donald Trump’s latest job approval ratings? What percentage of Americans are paying attention to his tweets? How should Americans’ feelings about complex foreign policy initiatives be taken into account? How much are Americans’ views of traditional social and sexual norms shifting? And, a look at month-to-month changes in Americans’ views of guns as the nation’s top problem.

What the whole world wants is a good job, but how do you measure what a good job is? Gallup World Poll Editor Julie Ray explores the latest findings from the 2018 Global Great Jobs Briefing. What regions of the world have the highest and lowest percentages of adults with good jobs? And what is a great job? Later, do Americans view their personal financial health through a political lens?

Gallup’s presidential job approval rating is an enduring staple of political assessment. Where does President Donald Trump’s approval rating stand after five quarters in office? How does partisanship affect Americans’ views of the president’s performance? And how do his job approval ratings compare with previous presidents? Gallup Senior Editor Jeff Jones breaks down the Gallup trend spanning many decades. Later, find out what percentage of Americans have money in the stock market. Is this figure up or down from prior years?

How many adults worldwide don’t have access to basic financial services? And why does financial inclusion matter? The World Bank’s Global Findex report answers these questions and more using Gallup World Poll data. Joe Daly, Gallup partner and manager of the worldwide project, explains the new report’s findings and where disparities in financial inclusion still exist. Later, the recently passed tax reform law will have an impact on many Americans’ taxes -- but most adults are unclear about how it will affect them.

A new exhibit at the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum revisits polls from the 1930s and 1940s, showing what Americans knew about the Holocaust and what they believed the U.S. should have done to aid Jewish refugees. Dr. Daniel Greene, the guest exhibition curator at the museum, joins the podcast to discuss Americans’ views and the broader cultural and economic environment in the U.S. in the late 1930s and 1940s. Later, what percentage of Facebook users say they are concerned about their privacy being violated? Have views shifted since 2011?