Americans are tired of politics invading every aspect of their lives. But many cannot stop that habit.
Nearly 60 percent of Americans say it feels like politics is so ubiquitous these days that it doesn’t make sense for things to be political, according to new POLITICO Poll results. It’s a rare compromise between Republicans and Democrats, with many on both sides also agreeing that it’s becoming less important what celebrities say about politics.
Unless they agree with them.
The same people who want politics out of everyday life are still affected when the opinions of celebrities or athletes align with theirs. About 70 percent of voters who supported Vice President Kamala Harris in 2024 would think “more positively” about the movie star if she spoke out against President Donald Trump. The opposite is also true: For nearly 60 percent of the president’s voters, their star outlook would improve if they expressed support for him.
That picture comes into sharper relief among the more powerful members, who are more likely to expect their favorite celebrities and the institutions around them to voice their political opinions than those more in the middle.
This article is part of an ongoing project from POLITICO andPublic Firstan independent polling company based in London, to measure public opinion on various policy areas.
You can find new surveys and analysis every month atpolitico.com/poll.
Have questions or comments? Ideas for future studies? Email us atkura@politico.com.
That paints a complex and conflicting picture of how voters engage with politics as it bleeds into their everyday lives – and celebrities and local leaders need to step up as culture and politics become harder to contain.
Celebrities and athletes have increasingly spoken out about such reasonsICE crackdownandcolor balanceon the world stage. Important cultural podcasts – fromThe Joe Rogan ExperienceforCall her father –they have welcomed politicians including Trump and Harris. And actors likeGeorge Clooneywere instrumental in urging former President Joe Biden to end his 2024 campaign.
“Everybody should always speak up for what they believe in,” said Jordan C. Brown, a Los Angeles Democratic strategist who has worked with campaigns and celebrities alike. “But there is a cost, and I think I would warn people about the cost.”
The result is an American public that doesn’t really know what they want, that is fed up with their lives being political – but also influenced by party statements.
Voters still care about where celebrities and institutions stand
Many of Harris and Trump voters say politics has invaded spaces they don’t belong in, but Trump voters care more than Harris voters.
For example, more Trump voters (52 percent) say there is too much politics in sports, compared to 31 percent of Harris voters who say the same. In some areas of everyday life – such as sports, film and television, and music – a majority of Harris voters say there is an acceptable amount of politics involved.
But few Americans say they want more.
Some Americans also claim that bringing politics into other fields does not affect them. A majority of Harris voters — 38 percent — say it doesn’t matter to them if athletes, for example, talk about politics.
And yet, polls have found, Republicans and Democrats alike have been swayed by information from businessmen and celebrities.
A strong majority report that the political statements of celebrities, athletes or even the owner of a local grocery store influence their opinion of that person. And about one in five people say they have changed their opinion about a political topic because a celebrity spoke about it.
The poll results also show a clear pattern of when those statements are most important: Americans respond positively when they reflect their worldview.
Most of Trump’s 2024 voters say they would view the athlete in a more positive light if they made statements that fit the president’s agenda, such as “We need to deal with rampant crime in our cities.” On the other hand, more than 60 percent of Harris voters say they would think better of athletes who make statements like “We need to tax the richest people in this country.” That’s even true of voters in both parties who said there is “too much” politics in sports.
It’s familiar, according to Shaun Harper, a professor at the University of Southern California who has done research on the political activism of athletes. He described the mentality of “‘I don’t want politics in my games unless it’s my politics'” as “anti-democratic.”
“It is unfair to the athletes and to our democracy to expect them to freely use their platforms and their right to express themselves,” he said.
The most politically engaged voters care the most
Stronger supporters want to know more about what local, religious and cultural leaders have to say compared to those in the middle.
More than a third of Trump voters who identify as “MAGA Republicans,” the president’s most loyal base, say religious institutions should make their views clear to their supporters, compared with 22 percent of Trump’s non-MAGA voters.
MAGA Trump voters are also more likely to act on those political differences: 43 percent say they would not buy from a business that made it clear that it has a different political opinion — compared to 27 percent of non-MAGA Trump voters and about 30 percent for all adults.
On the other side of the aisle, nearly a third of self-identified “strong” Democrats say athletes should make their political views public, twice as many as the 16 percent of self-identified “strong” Democrats who agree.
And 36 percent of “strong” Democrats believe schools and universities should make their political views clear to their students, compared to 22 percent of “weak” Democrats.
Those who voted for a third party, or who didn’t vote at all, are least interested in hearing about politics in their everyday lives: Only 12 percent say celebrities should make their political views public to their fans. And less than 10 percent said they had changed their opinion about a political topic because a celebrity talked about it.
Celebrities are already reluctant to engage in partisan politics
The results shed light on an ongoing debate as campaign stars and strategists try to figure out how — or evenif— involving celebrities and politics.
Finding a way to do that that doesn’t destroy their own careers, given the complexity of the divisions between voters and fans, can be difficult, the poll shows. When some voters claim to be neutral but secretly want the politics of their favorite stars to match theirs, but others demand political participation, it leaves celebrities to decide which group they can least offend.
Democrats have used celebrity endorsements and heirs extensively since former President Barack Obama’s highly publicized 2008 presidential campaign. Harris, two years ago, saw an outpouring of support for his presidential campaign from many senior VIPs: Beyoncé and Kelly Rowland appeared at his rally in Houston, Taylor Swift posted the former vice president’s endorsement to her millions of social media followers, and Lady Gaga performed at his vigil. of the election in Philadelphia.
But that backfired on celebrities when Harris lost, said Todd Hawkins, a Democratic strategist and consultant based in Los Angeles.
“What we’ve seen is a huge impact as a result of losing, people saying celebrities don’t tell us what to do, nobody cares what they think,” he said.
Fears about divisive political parties are making many celebrities reluctant to get involved in politics in a high-profile way – a trend captured by actress Jennifer Lawrence in 2025.interview with the New York Timeswhen asked about his intention to speak out against Trump.
“I don’t know if it’s necessary,” he said. “But as we’ve learned, election after election, celebrities don’t make any difference in who people vote for. So what am I doing? I’m just sharing my opinion on something that will add fuel to the fire that’s tearing the country apart.”
Last year, actress and entrepreneur Selena Gomez posted – and later deleted – a tearful video in response to the immigration abuses that broughtcriticism from the right. And Hunter Hess, Olympic freestyle athlete, drewheat from Trumpsaying that representing the United States in the Games “brings mixed emotions” after Alex Pretti and Renée Good were shot and killed by ICE agents in Minneapolis.
“They’re very nervous, they’re scared as hell, but they were more scared last year than anything,” Hawkins said of the celebrities. “I still see concerns about how and what they will do to get engaged.”
The connection between politics and pop culture, however, won’t end anytime soon, said Brown, an LA Democratic strategist: “There’s this saying: the only thing Hollywood and DC love more than themselves is each other.”
About the survey
This edition of the POLITICO Poll was conducted by Public First from May 17 to 19, and surveyed 2,035 American adults online. Results were measured by age, race, gender, geography and educational attainment. The overall margin of sampling error is ±2.2 percentage points. Smaller groups have a higher margin of error.
