Who Did Americans Blame for the Shutdown?

On October 1, 2025, the US federal government entered a shutdown at midnight after Congress failed to pass any budgets for the 2026 fiscal year. This ended up being the longest shutdown in history, lasting for 44 days before finally ending on November 13, 2025. From the end of September, Americans wasted no time pointing fingers, but how much they blamed each of the major players kept changing day by day. Between late September and mid-November, public opinion shifted, first placing most of the blame on Democrats in Congress, then shifting more blame on President Trump and Republicans in Congress.

At the start, Democrats had the highest share of the blame (about 40%), with the President and Republicans in Congress each at about 30%. These numbers were constantly moving throughout the next six weeks until the announced agreement between Republicans in the Senate and 8 Democratic Senators (well, 7 plus an Independent) . This news did not endear the Democratic party with their fellow party members, or Independent voters, whose view on who to blame shifted dramatically in a 24 hour period. That anger has seemed to subside slightly this week, but the data does not seem to point to Americans of all political stripes moving on to other things any time soon.

Here are the key takeaways from this week’s chart:

• 🚺🚹Men fell along party lines, women more free thinking: Women’s opinions moved more throughout the shutdown. Their blame toward President Trump climbed from around 29% to over 31% by November, while blame toward Democrats in Congress fluctuated sharply, peaking near 45-50% in mid-October before settling at around 38% by mid-November. Men, on the other hand, were steadier in their opinions. Their blame toward Democrats in Congress stayed high, around 45-50% throughout, while blame toward Trump and Republicans in Congress stayed lower, both near 25%. Overall, men showed less volatility and more consistent partisan alignment. 
• ☯️☯️Independents and Democrats had more mixed views:  At the start of the shutdown, Independents placed 40% of the blame on Democrats in Congress, while placing 30% on Republicans and 25% on President Trump. By mid-October, blame for Democrats increased to 47%, with 28% of the blame on Trump and 24% on Republicans. Democrats on the other hand had completely opposing views. They blamed President Trump (about 52%) and Republicans in Congress (around 40%), while only about 7% blamed Democrats in Congress. 
• 💡💡Republicans were united on whom to blame:  From the start, Republicans mostly pointed the finger at Democrats in Congress, with blame being placed around 75-80%. That view stayed strong through November, with only small changes week to week. Very few Republicans blamed their own party (about 16%) or President Trump (around 11%). Compared to Independents and Democrats, Republicans were the most united group, clearly seeing Democrats as the main cause of the government shutdown.