A plurality favor President Donald Trump’s proposed $5,000 dividend for U.S. adults, a survey from the Economist/YouGov found.
The survey asked respondents, “Would you favor or oppose the government in Washington sending $5,000 to every adult citizen in the U.S.?” Notably, Trump floated this dividend during his speeches at the Republican midterm in Dallas.
“If the Republicans win the House of Representatives and the United States Senate, both of them, because of our… tremendous economic success, like in history we’ve never had anything like what’s happening, but because of our tremendous strength and success economically, I will issue a dividend to every adult citizen in the United States of America for $5,000,” Trump said on the first night of the convention. He compared the dividend to “a successful company” doing a “cash distribution to its shareholders.”
Overall, 48 percent across the board support the government dividend, compared to 40 percent who oppose. Of those who favor the move, 30 percent back it “strongly,” while 18 percent “somewhat” favor the proposal.
There is a partisan divide, as 61 percent of Republicans say they favor the dividend, while 29 percent oppose. A plurality of Democrats, 48 percent, oppose the dividend, while 39 percent oppose. Independents are more split down the middle, with 44 percent opposing and 41 percent favoring the proposed move.
However, the survey found Americans less confident that the dividend will actually happen. When asked how likely it is that Trump will make this happen if Republicans maintain control of the House and Senate, 10 percent said he would “definitely” do it, while 11 percent said he will “probably” do it. Another 22 percent believe there is an “equal chance of doing it and not doing it.” A plurality, 41 percent, said Trump “definitely would not do it,” and 16 percent said he would “probably” not do it.
The survey was taken September 11-14, 2026, among 1,461 respondents. It has a +/- 3.3 percent margin of error.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent affirmed that the government would be able to implement Trump’s plan to send $5,000 checks to American adults if Republicans retain their majorities in Congress without affecting the deficit. Further, Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) reaffirmed that Trump would need Congress to act in order to do it.
“And that’s a creative idea. He launched it at our convention and got a lot of people excited. Of course, devil’s in the details. We have to figure all that out. But I think what he was articulating there is that he’s saying that if you want more money in your pocket, you have to keep Republicans in charge,” Johnson said.
When asked about the dividends, Trump told a reporter that he did not propose it for turning out the vote. Rather, it is a “reward for people having to put up with five years and four years of horrible — a horrible situation caused by Biden.”
“I mean, they had to put up with the four years, and that carried on for at least a half an additional year with horrible, just a horrible thing that Biden did to our country. And that’s not only just from an economic standpoint,” Trump said, adding, “But what a period of time! It’s almost a reward for the people having to put up with Biden’s policy.”
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