New Poll: Chicagoans Strongly Oppose Trump and Support Innovative Social Policy for Working Families

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

A survey of Chicago adults finds broad, cross-partisan support for using municipal contracting and fiscal authority to hold corporations accountable and invest in working families.

CHICAGO, IL — A new poll conducted by the 2040 Strategy Group reveals that Chicago residents across demographic and partisan lines strongly support two proposals: using the city's contracting power to divest from companies profiting from the Trump administration's corruption, and expanding guaranteed income programs for working families. The findings, based on a representative survey of Chicago adults conducted August 4-16, 2026, provide a clear mandate for local leaders to act on both fronts.

Majority of Chicagoans Want the City to Cut Ties with Trump-Linked Corruption

Sixty-four percent of Chicago residents agree that the city should, whenever possible, avoid doing business with companies or suppliers profiting from the Trump administration. Only 15 percent oppose such a measure. When the question is framed around corruption specifically, support climbs to 71 percent, with only 12 percent opposed. That majority holds across every major demographic segment surveyed, including Republican respondents.

Respondents overwhelmingly identified actions such as awarding government contracts to family members or campaign donors as corrupt, confirming that the public broadly shares the premise underlying the Not With Our Money campaign's call for ethical procurement.

When presented with two rationales for divestment, respondents preferred holding complicit companies accountable for enabling corruption slightly more persuasive than a fair-competition message. 

Strong Opposition to ICE Cooperation

Sixty-six percent of residents agree that Chicago's leaders should oppose ICE activities to protect all Chicago communities. 29 percent of respondents reported participating in at least one No Kings protest over the past year, and 24 percent reported taking part in anti-ICE protests and civil resistance activities.

“The results from this poll send a clear message: Chicago residents do not want their leaders involved in the militarization of their law enforcement or ICE in their communities,” said Michelle Healy, Director of the Not With Our Money campaign. “Instead, they expect elected officials to stand up to ICE and cut ties with companies that may be engaging in unethical practices in order to win lucrative contracts that end harming our communities. We thank 2040 Strategy Group for their research which will guide us in our work going forward.”  

Guaranteed Income Programs Popular, with Room to Grow

Supporters of guaranteed income programs outnumber opponents by a ratio of four to one, even under the most precisely defined framing of such proposals. Support is especially strong among younger residents and communities of color.

Forty-four percent of respondents said they were not yet familiar with guaranteed income programs, and those who were already familiar expressed significantly higher levels of support. These findings suggest that continued public education and communication about pilot programs, including the Cook County Promise Guaranteed Income Pilot, could further strengthen an already favorable consensus. Last year, Cook County approved $7.5 million in its fiscal year 2026 budget to continue its guaranteed income pilot.

“These findings reinforce what we’ve known: guaranteed income programs are a lifeline for families making ends meet in an economy that’s designed against them,” said Dorian Warren, Co-President of Community Change Action. “When we put cash directly in people’s hands, families can plan, build, and get a real shot at stability. Cash assistance works because it trusts people to know what their families need.”

Chicago Voters Reject Billionaire Influence

Seventy-four percent of respondents agree that Chicago leaders should not take direction from outside billionaires. Large majorities across all segments, including Republicans, respond favorably to politicians who prioritize working families over the interests of wealthy corporations, indicating that this framing carries populist appeal that has not been polarized along partisan lines

Methodology

The poll surveyed a set of Chicago residents (all adults) from August 4 through August 16, 2026. The sample was provided by Bovitz, Inc., with a margin of error of ±3.7 percent. Analyses were weighted by age, sex, education, income, and party identification to adjust for differential response rates.

About Not With Our Money: Not With Our Money is a people-powered campaign that uses cities' economic spending power, including procurement contracts, purchasing decisions, and pension fund investments, as a tool of corporate accountability. The campaign works with elected officials, workplace organizations, and coalition partners nationwide to ensure public dollars are not directed toward corporations that enable authoritarianism.

About Community Change Action: Community Change Action is a national organization that builds the power of low-income people of color to fight for a society where everyone can thrive. Our role is to strengthen and bring together grassroots groups from all over the country and to unite the power of community organizing, big ideas, and political clout to win a bold progressive agenda.

Not With Our Money Media Contact: Shirley Limongi, EO & Co. shirley@eoandco.com Community Change Action Media Contact: Jasmine Nazarett. media@communitychange.org