Americans favor compromise from politicians to get things done in government, poll shows

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FILE-U.S. Representatives of the 119th Congress are sworn in during the first day of session in the House Chamber of the U.S. Capitol Building on January 03, 2025 in Washington, D.C. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

Americans say they prefer politicians to compromise instead of sticking with their political beliefs to accomplish things within the federal government, a new poll shows. 

Gallup released their findings in a recent poll using telephone interviews by ReconMR from Sept. 2-16, 2025, with a sample of 1,000 people 18 years old and older living in all U.S. states and Washington, D.C.

RELATED: Lawmakers battle to reach deal to avoid shutdown ahead of Oct. 1 deadline

The survey was launched amid Congress dealing with the challenges of passing a federal spending bill by Oct. 1 to avoid a government shutdown. 

Nearly half of Americans support compromise among politicians

Why you should care:

According to the poll, respondents are twice as likely to say they would rather see lawmakers in Washington, D.C. compromise to get things done (47%) than have legislators cling to their political beliefs at the risk of accomplishing little (24%). And another 26% of Americans believe the best option is somewhere between these choices.

Political parties divided on lawmakers compromising

Dig deeper:

Fifty-eight percent of Democrats admit they prefer political leaders to compromise, compared to 15% who believe leaders should cling to their beliefs and risk not doing anything. 

Gallup noted that Republicans were also split on this issue, with 38% supporting each option while identical 22% numbers in each political party prefer something in between.

Meanwhile, about 47% of independents support politicians compromising to accomplish things, compared to 22% who favor sticking to their beliefs, while 30% admit they don’t have a clear preference.

Americans say their own members of Congress stick to their beliefs instead of compromise

Local perspective:

Gallup asked Americans if their own representatives in Congress compromise or stick to their political beliefs when it comes to getting things done in government. 

More respondents think their members of Congress tend to stick to their beliefs (40%) than compromise (26%), while 28% rate their representative as somewhere in the middle.

This sentiment is similar among political parties, with 39% of Republicans, 40% of Democrats and 40% of independents saying their own member of Congress generally clings to their beliefs. Moreover, Democrats (33%) are a bit more likely than Republicans (25%) and independents (24%) to say their members compromise.

For Americans who would prefer their political leader compromise, only 35% think their own representative does so. But 33% admit their representative sticks to their beliefs. Separately, among respondents who want to see philosophical confidence, 57% think their Congress member reflects that stance.