The vast majority of Americans want the U.S. government to release all of its files from the investigation into Jeffrey Epstein: 81% say it should and only 4% say it shouldn’t. Donald Trump’s critics overwhelmingly oppose his handling of the Epstein investigation, while Trump’s supporters are more divided and give him less support than they do on other issues.
What you need to know about Americans’ views of the Epstein investigation, as of the December 20 – 22, 2025 Economist / YouGov Poll:
Support for the federal government releasing all its Epstein files is high among Democrats (91% support vs. 1% who oppose), Independents (78% vs. 4%), and Republicans (74% vs. 6%)Most people who don’t support releasing all the Epstein files are not sure about the issue (15% of U.S. adult citizens) rather than openly opposed (4%)55% of Americans strongly disapprove (44%) or somewhat disapprove (11%) of how Trump is handling the Epstein investigations, while only 26% strongly approve (12%) or somewhat approve (14%)Democrats overwhelmingly say they strongly disapprove of Trump’s handling of the issue (81%), while Republicans are more divided: 30% of Republicans strongly approve of how Trump is handling the Epstein investigations, and 27% somewhat approveAmong self-identified MAGA Republicans — Republicans who say they are “MAGA supporters” — less than half (46%) strongly approve of Trump’s handling of the issue, while 30% say they somewhat approveBy contrast, majorities of MAGA Republicans say they strongly approve of how Trump is handling immigration (84%), the military (80%), foreign policy (72%), jobs and the economy (68%), and tariffs (59%); 47% strongly approve of his handing of VenezuelaOnly 7% of non-MAGA Republicans strongly approve of Trump’s handling of the Epstein investigations, the same as the share of Independents who do so