WASHINGTON, D.C. (January 15, 2026) – Cygnal, one of the nation’s fastest growing and most accurate private polling firms, released the following monthly National Voter Trends (NVT) poll (conducted Jan. 7-8) of 1,500 likely general election voters.
Data vs. Dogma: Zohran Mamdani’s rise to power and inauguration as New York City’s mayor has fueled widespread narratives that capitalism is losing traction and socialism is the hip new thing. The face of that dogma are loud voices like AOC and Bernie Sanders. This latest data tells a different story.
“It’s a good thing that radicals like Mamdani are in the minority from the rest of America with his warm embrace of socialism,” said partner and pollster, Mitch Brown. “But the more alarming number is the fact that only 54 percent see capitalism favorably. Young people, especially, have been robbed of an education that tells the truth about capitalism in favor of an indoctrination culture that has taught generations to see only its downsides with zero acknowledgement of socialism’s widespread failure throughout history. This debate is nothing new to the political conversation, but we’re now seeing it in the data now – when I’d like to see the pro-capitalism numbers in the high eighties.”
Our Pollsters’ Top Five:
Venezuelan Win: half of voters approve of the strike against Venezuela and capture of Maduro, including 15 percent of Democrats. When it comes to the U.S. running the country, 54 percent oppose this course of action overall, but 79 percent of Republicans are supportive.
Liberal Bliss: most voters say they encounter misinformation very often (39%) or somewhat often (34%). Against the backdrop of 88 percent who say Americans cannot agree on basic facts, it was Black voters (29%) and Democrats (28%) who said they didn’t experience misinformation very often.
Karens on ICE, Part Deux: we measured the rise of radical younger, liberal, White women back in October who 61% said it was okay to break the law if they disagreed with ICE. While 60 percent of Independent voters, a key midterm bloc, now say Trump’s enforcement actions have gone too far; overall, 39 percent of voters say it is making their communities safer.
“In July, we had data showing the spark that ignited the so-called Karens, or angry liberal White women, freak out over the Trump Administration’s mass deportation efforts. In October, as those efforts progressed, our data shows voters split on the issue but still 48 perecent believe efforts are appropriate or haven’t gone far enough,” said pollster and Cygnal CEO, Brent Buchanan. “Now, not even a month into the new year and in the wake of the tragedy in Minneapolis, the data again shows these women say Trump’s immigration policies are making their communities less safe. That pretext justifies violence in their minds, and it’s the same underpinning of emotional calamity which drives the same people to say threats to democracy is the number one issue in America. The emotional divide over this issue is massive and largely misaligned to where the rest of the country is at right now.”
The Donald Rebounds: President Trump was in Detroit this week touting his successes on the affordability front as his image has significantly improved (+6) since November. Meanwhile, Democrats’ lead on generic ballot has shrunk to three points with an overall party image (-20) that’s in the dumps.
“When the President empathetically talks about voters’ concerns, his successes, and connects that to what he’s continuing to do, his image improves,” said Buchanan. “This is especially true for swing voters, and when newer and lower-propensity voters hear about Trump’s successes, they become five percent more likely to be favorable of the President. When he goes to Detroit, he’s flexing his persuasion ability and gearing up for the midterms.”
Fragile Finances: inflation and the economy (20%) remain the top concern among voters, but what economic relief looks like coming out of Washington varies: 32 percent of voters say Congress should put its focus on cutting taxes, 28 percent on reducing deficits across the board, and 19 percent on increasing investments in things like infrastructure and energy. Few say the overall economy is positive, and a smaller number see their personal finances as better than the whole compared to a few months ago.
Financial Stressors Snapshot:
Press Contact: Ryan Shucard, [email protected]
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Led by CEO and pollster Brent Buchanan, author of America’s Emotional Divide, Cygnal is an award-winning international public opinion and predictive analytics firm that has revolutionized the polling industry with multi-mode polling, message mapping, and emotional analytics. Recognized as the #1 private pollster by the Silver Bulletin and The New York Times, the firm boasts an impressive 95 percent accuracy rating in the 2024 election cycle. With experience in all 50 U.S. states and over 20 countries, Cygnal has strategically guided over 3,000 campaigns and conducted more than 4,500 polls. Its client roster includes high-profile figures such as Governors Greg Abbott and Brian Kemp, Senator Markwayne Mullin, along with numerous other Members of Congress, state legislators, caucuses, corporations, and trade associations, solidifying Cygnal as a clear leader in political polling and analytics.