Where Americans land on the Supreme Court's power
Core finding
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.
Americans 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
55.0% say the Court should interpret the Constitution even against majority opinion.
n = 1,000 · Jun 21, 2026 · MoE ±3.2%
But 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
53.7% want stronger means of controlling the Court.
n = 1,000 · Jun 21, 2026 · MoE ±3.2%
Trust 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.
Stacked breakdown
56.2% reject doing away with the Court over unpopular decisions.
n = 1,000 · Jun 21, 2026 · MoE ±3.2%
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 | Jun 21, 2026 |
| 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
- reports.verasight.io/r/mpsa26
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.
- reports.verasight.io/r/mpsa26
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.
- reports.verasight.io/r/mpsa26
Please 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.
- reports.verasight.io/r/mpsa26
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.
- reports.verasight.io/r/mpsa26
Please 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.
Cite this topic
Verasight MPSA Omnibus Survey #2026-050, fielded June 21-21, 2026, N=1,000 US adults age 18+, +/- 3.2%.