• With Donald Trump's repeated calls to end the filibuster to pass a budget, Washington rages. What both sides forget is that just 59% of voters even claim to know what the term means.
  • Even fewer (37%) can give a response that is close to accurate.
  • As a result, polls on this topic are difficult to interpret.
• A recent Napolitan News story gave two different definitions* of a filibuster (one citing its positive attributes, and one its negative attributes) and asked if it was good or bad for America. (See the graphic below for exact question wording.) 
  • When the filibuster was described as a protection "from passing major new laws on a partisan basis," a clear majority favored the practice.
  • Just 21% say it is at least Somewhat Bad for America, while 54% say it was at least Somewhat Good.
  • Majorities of both parties agree on this.
• When the filibuster was described as a way to allow "41 Senators out of 100 to block a vote on any legislation, even if a majority favor that legislation," opinion was split, and support dropped 14 points (to 40%).
  • Still, it is significant to note that a plurality still said the filibuster was good.
• When asked specifically if President Trump should end the filibuster to allow Republicans to pass a budget, a plurality (43%) at least Somewhat Oppose the measure, while 40% at least Somewhat Support it.
  • These numbers include 20% who Strongly Support the idea, while 29% Strongly Oppose it.
  • While 34% of Republicans Strongly Support it, a majority (55%) of Democrats are Strongly Opposed.

*One half of the sample was given each definition.

This data is from a Napolitan News Service survey of 1,000 Registered Voters conducted online by Scott Rasmussen, November 3-4, 2025. RMG Research, Inc., conducted the field work for the survey. It has a margin of error of +/- 3.1.