Where Americans land on the Supreme Court's power
Framing
Americans hold the Supreme Court in a kind of conditional regard. They grant it real interpretive authority, but pair that with a clear appetite for checks on its power.
About 55% say the Court should decide what the Constitution means even against majority opinion, while 54% want stronger means to control its actions. Trust is soft rather than deep, and only about one in five would consider abolishing the Court.
Stacked breakdown
55.0% say the Court should interpret the Constitution even against majority opinion.
Please indicate how much you agree or disagree with the following statement: The U.S. Supreme Court should have the right to say what the Constitution means, even when a majority of the people disagree with its decisions.
- Agree strongly
- 26.6%
- Agree somewhat
- 28.4%
- Neither agree nor disagree
- 23.7%
- Disagree somewhat
- 13.1%
- Disagree strongly
- 8.1%
Verasight MPSA Omnibus Survey #2026-050
View source dataAmericans grant the Court real authority
55.0% agree the Court should have the right to say what the Constitution means even when a majority disagrees, including 26.6% who agree strongly and 28.4% somewhat.
A similar 53.1% agree that Court decisions must always be carried out, even if that limits Congress and the president.
Stacked breakdown
53.7% want stronger means of controlling the Court.
Please indicate how much you agree or disagree with the following statement: It is inevitable the U.S. Supreme Court gets mixed up in politics; therefore, we ought to have stronger means of controlling the Court's actions.
- Agree strongly
- 21.7%
- Agree somewhat
- 32.0%
- Neither agree nor disagree
- 26.3%
- Disagree somewhat
- 11.1%
- Disagree strongly
- 8.9%
Verasight MPSA Omnibus Survey #2026-050
View source dataBut they want it kept in check
53.7% agree the Court inevitably gets mixed up in politics and that the country needs stronger means of controlling it.
Opinion splits on narrowing its reach: 32.3% disagree that the Court's right to decide certain cases should be reduced, 30.7% agree, and 37.1% take neither side.
Stacked breakdown
56.2% reject doing away with the Court over unpopular decisions.
Please indicate how much you agree or disagree with the following statement: If the U.S. Supreme Court started making a lot of decisions people disagreed with, it might be better to do away with the Supreme Court altogether.
- Agree strongly
- 8.5%
- Agree somewhat
- 12.7%
- Neither agree nor disagree
- 22.6%
- Disagree somewhat
- 21.3%
- Disagree strongly
- 34.9%
Verasight MPSA Omnibus Survey #2026-050
View source dataTrust is soft, but abolition is a step too far
Trust is lukewarm: 45.5% agree the Court can usually be trusted to decide what is right for the country, while 29.5% disagree and 25.0% take neither side.
The limits of frustration are clear: 56.2% reject doing away with the Court if it made unpopular decisions, while 21.2% would be open to it.
Methodology
Full methodology- Mode
- Verasight panel recruited via random address-based sampling, random person-to-person text messaging, and dynamic online targeting
- Population
- US adults age 18+
- Field dates
- 2026-06-21 → 2026-06-21
- Base (unweighted)
- 1,000
- Margin of error
- +/- 3.2%
- Module
- 1
- Sponsor
- Verasight
- Weight variable
- weight
- Weighting targets
- age, race/ethnicity, sex, income, education, region, metropolitan status
Sources
[5]- 01Please indicate how much you agree or disagree with the following statement: The U.S. Supreme Court should have the right to say what the Constitution means, even when a majority of the people disagree with its decisions.55.0% agree the Court should have the right to say what the Constitution means even when a majority disagrees.reports.verasight.io/r/mpsa26
- 02Please indicate how much you agree or disagree with the following statement: It is inevitable the U.S. Supreme Court gets mixed up in politics; therefore, we ought to have stronger means of controlling the Court's actions.53.7% agree the country needs stronger means of controlling the Court's actions.reports.verasight.io/r/mpsa26
- 03Please indicate how much you agree or disagree with the following statement: The Supreme Court can usually be trusted to make decision that are right for the country as a whole.45.5% agree the Court can usually be trusted to make decisions right for the country, while 29.5% disagree.reports.verasight.io/r/mpsa26
- 04Please indicate how much you agree or disagree with the following statement: If the U.S. Supreme Court started making a lot of decisions people disagreed with, it might be better to do away with the Supreme Court altogether.56.2% reject doing away with the Court if it made unpopular decisions; 21.2% would be open to it.reports.verasight.io/r/mpsa26
- 05Please indicate how much you agree or disagree with the following statement: Supreme Court decisions must always be carried out even if it means limiting the power of Congress and the president to ensure the Court gets its way.53.1% agree Court decisions must always be carried out, even if that limits Congress and the president.reports.verasight.io/r/mpsa26
Citation
Verasight MPSA Omnibus Survey #2026-050, fielded June 21-21, 2026, N=1,000 US adults age 18+, +/- 3.2%.