Voter sentiment across Missouri has turned increasingly critical toward elected officials at both the state and federal levels, according to the latest statewide survey released by Saint Louis University and YouGov. The findings capture an environment marked by declining support for top Republican leaders, shifting views on high-profile ballot measures, and mounting local resistance to data center developments.
The poll surveyed 900 likely Missouri voters between August 13 and August 24, 2026, and carries a margin of error of 4.09 percentage points. Administered twice annually since its inception in 2020, the long-running research project evaluates public attitudes on governance, the economy, education, ballot initiatives, and public health policies such as vaccine mandates.
The most notable shift in the findings is the downward trajectory of President Donald Trump's standing in the state. For the first time since the SLU/YouGov survey began tracking his numbers six years ago, Trump’s approval rating has slipped below the majority mark in Missouri. Only 48% of surveyed voters expressed approval of his performance in office, compared to 52% who indicated disapproval.
The result marks a steady downturn for the president among the state's electorate. In February 2026, Trump enjoyed a 53% approval rating, which itself was a decline from the 56% registered the year before. Steve Rogers, the poll director and a political science professor at Saint Louis University, emphasized that the president's numbers have moved into negative territory for the first time in the poll’s historical dataset.
Missouri's federal legislative delegation is confronting similar headwinds. U.S. Senator Josh Hawley saw his approval rating slide to 47%, representing his lowest score in the survey since 2023. Fellow Republican U.S. Senator Eric Schmitt recorded an approval rating of 44%, approaching his previous lowest performance recorded in August 2023.
Institutional approval for the federal government as a whole reflects broad voter disenchantment. The United States Congress registered an approval rating of just 25% in August 2026. This marks a sharp decline from the 33% approval recorded in February 2026 and an all-time survey high of 41% in February 2025, occurring despite Republican control of both legislative chambers.
Public faith in the nation's highest court has experienced a parallel reduction over the past eighteen months. The United States Supreme Court registered a 45% approval rating among Missouri respondents in August 2026, steadily dropping from the 51% recorded in February 2025.
Discontent is not limited to Washington, as Missouri state leadership also witnessed substantial declines in public support. Governor Mike Kehoe experienced a ten-point tumble over the last six months, dropping from a 50% approval mark in February 2026 to 40% in the latest August survey.
The Missouri State Legislature suffered a comparable erosion in voter backing. Approval of the state's general assembly decreased from 51% in February 2026 down to 42% in August, underscoring an expansive mood of dissatisfaction with lawmakers in Jefferson City.
The prevailing political climate appears to be complicating statewide campaigns. Survey responses regarding the race for Missouri State Auditor revealed a statistical dead heat within the survey's margin of error. In a predominantly conservative state, such parity represents an unusual vulnerability for the incumbent Republican.
Rogers attributed the tightening contest to broader national dynamics, explaining that State Auditor Fitzpatrick is navigating typical midterm headwinds. While voter frustration with previous federal leadership benefited Republicans in 2022, current dissatisfaction with Republican governance in 2026 is creating significant challenges for candidates on the ballot.
Beyond assessments of political figures, the poll highlighted surging public opposition to industrial data centers. As local jurisdictions grapple with proposed facilities designed to house computer servers, Missourians have grown increasingly resistant to hosting these installations in their immediate vicinity.
According to the poll results, 68% of respondents now oppose having data centers built within their local communities. This represents a 17-percentage-point increase from February 2026, when local opposition stood at 51%. The survey tested public attitudes by dividing respondents into split groups to evaluate whether asking about community-level impacts before or after statewide development influenced voter reaction.
Looking ahead to the upcoming November 3 general election, Missouri voters expressed divided perspectives on critical constitutional amendments and ballot propositions. Support has cooled significantly for Amendment 3, an initiative seeking to overturn the 2024 voter-approved repeal of Missouri’s abortion ban. Approval fell from 50% in February to 43% in August, while 44% of voters opposed it, leaving the contest inside the statistical margin of error.
Meanwhile, Amendment 6—which would restrict lawmakers from revising citizen-approved initiative petitions unless they obtain an 80% supermajority in the legislature and subsequent statewide ratification—garnered 48% support. While Rogers noted strong underlying backing for the restriction, roughly one-third of voters remain undecided on the measure.
The poll also examined voter sentiment regarding Proposition A, with researchers noting that the measure appeared to generate widespread confusion among respondents. Full documentation of the August 2026 survey, along with historical polling data dating back to 2020, is publicly accessible through Saint Louis University's polling research portal.
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