PORK OF THE YEAR: When asked about the most egregious example of government waste in Tennessee this past year…

35%
of voters chose the $10 million taxpayer-funded incentive to the critically panned TV show, 9-1-1: Nashville, as their choice for Pork of the Year.
30%
of voters chose the $900 million given to Ford for Blue Oval City, which recently announced its fourth delay and that it was completely scrapping their plans for electric vehicle production, one of the main selling points of the project.
29%
of voters chose the city of Memphis, buying and trying to revamp the Sheraton Memphis Downtown hotel. The city issued $30 million in bonds to cover the $22 million purchase price, tossing tens of millions more onto the city’s debt pile.
Read the 2025 Pork Report here

Political Polling Results: Tennessee

The Tennessee state legislature is fairly popular among Tennessee voters.

53% of voters approve of the job they are doing and 38% disapprove. The legislature is extremely popular with Republicans (+55%), mildly above water with Independents (+3%), and underwater among Democrats (-45%).

56% of Tennessee Republican primary voters support Senator Marsha Blackburn in the Republican primary for Governor, with Congressman John Rose garnering 9% and 7% for State Representative Monty Fritts.

POLITICS

53% of Tennessee voters approve of the job that President Trump is doing, while 43% disapprove.

POLITICS

Policy Polling Results: National Issues

72% of Tennesseans support the new federal school choice tax credit that was included in the Big Beautiful Bill, while only 18% oppose it.

EDUCATION

36% of Tennessee voters believe that presidential pardons are used to protect political allies and friends, while just 14% believe they are used to correct injustices in the legal system. A plurality of voters (41%) believe that it is a mix of both.

POLITICS

46% of Tennessee voters are satisfied with the way things are going in the United States, while 52% are dissatisfied.

POLITICS

Policy Polling Results: Tennessee

72% of Tennessee voters believe local governments should not be able to hire contract lobbyists, while only 13% believe that the practice of taxpayer-funded lobbying should be allowed. This view spans all political ideologies, with Republicans (-56%), Democrats (-57%), and Independents (-69%) all being against the practice.

POLITICS

82% of Tennesseans believe that employees should be able to choose whether or not they want to join a union and pay dues, while just 12% believe all employees should be required to join a union and pay dues as a condition of employment.

POLITICS

52% of Tennessee voters support laws with an economic impact over $1 million going to the legislature for a vote while 20% believe agencies should be able to implement regulations without oversight.

POLITICS

Policy Polling Results: Property Issues

90% of voters agree that there should be a limit on how much localities can raise property taxes each year with voter approval for any increase above that limit while just 5% disagree.

HOUSING

87% of voters agree that the government should fairly compensate property owners for their loss when they change rules on property owners with just 7% disagreeing. Republicans (+77%), Democrats (+84%), and Independents (+80%) all believe property owners should not be punished by a change in the law that lowers the value of their property.

HOUSING

72% of Tennesseans believe that people should be free to use their property as they choose, so long as it doesn’t harm others or create health/safety risks. Only 23% of voters believe local governments should have the authority to restrict how land is used for community benefit.

HOUSING

Culture Polling Results

After a thrilling NCAA football playoff that culminated in Indiana completing its Cinderella story with a National Championship, voters are mixed on the direction the college football playoff should go from here on out.

43%
believe that we should leave it at 12 teams.
14%
believe we should expand beyond 12 teams
9%
believe we should reduce the number of playoff teams
30%
of voters don’t follow college football enough to have an opinion.

Methodology

  • Online poll of 1,200 registered voters in Tennessee
  • Only respondents who passed our data quality checks were included in the final results and compensated for participating.
  • Sampling was stratified by demographics and geography.
  • Results were weighted by demographics, party, geography, and behavioral measures to properly reflect the profile of the state.
  • Estimated margin of error: +/- 2.77%
  • Fieldwork: January 11 through January 18, 2026
  • Due to weighting and rounding, percentages may not always total exactly 100%.
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