Campos and 90.5 WESA, Pittsburgh’s NPR News Station, are partnering on a series of short opinion surveys of adults in the Pittsburgh region to better understand their opinions on a range of timely topics. This joint research and reporting project will ensure WESA can tap into the opinions of people in Pittsburgh on a regular basis and use the corresponding results to complement its reporting. (For more information, or to sign up to participate, click here.)
In this edition of the WESA/Campos Pulse Survey, we probed respondents’ thoughts and perceptions on a range of topics, from perceptions of storm readiness to predictions regarding the second Trump administration’s impact on institutions.
Key Findings
Note: “Republican” and “Democrat” in these findings refer to respondents’ registered party.
Pittsburgh area residents overall believe that social safety net programs and Social Security & Medicare are the institutions most at risk under the Trump administration, while the military is the most likely to benefit—but are split on how federal agencies/regulations and U.S. foreign policy institutions will be affected.
- The results are heavily polarized by political party.
- 72% of Democrats think that none of the institutions listed will be improved by the end of President Trump’s term, while 29% of Republicans think that none of the institutions listed will be worsened.
- That said, there is relative consensus across parties that the military stands to improve the most (28% improved, 5% worsened), while the institutions most likely to be worsened are:
- Safety net programs like food stamps and Medicaid (46% worsened, 5% improved)
- Social Security & Medicare (35% worsened, 10% improved)
- Nonprofit agencies & advocacy groups (27% worsened, 3% improved)
- Higher education/academia (28% worsened, 6% improved)
- On the other hand, respondents seem to have the least consensus about how President Trump’s term will affect these institutions:
- Federal agencies & regulations (21% improved, 28% worsened)
- U.S. foreign policy institutions (19% improved, 22% worsened)
- Courts & law enforcement (12% improved, 14% worsened)
Political engagement is generally common in 2025, but the types of political activity engaged in varies by age, political affiliation, and type of community (urban vs. suburban).
- Respondents are twice as likely to have voted in an election (80%) in 2025 as they are to have engaged in any other form of political action on the list.
- Aside from voting, the most common forms of political engagement among Pittsburgh area residents in 2025 so far are:
- “Boycotted specific brands or products for a political reason” – 41%
- “Shared political content or opinions on social media” – 39%
- “Contacted an elected official (by email, phone call, or in-person)” – 37%
- “Signed or circulated a petition (physically or online)” – 34%
- The least common form of political engagement on the list is “Joined a rally, protest, march, or demonstration,” at 17%.
- Democrats are substantially more likely than Republicans to have engaged in certain types of political action in 2025—the same four as listed above (boycotting brands, sharing political content on social media, contacting an elected official, and signing/circulating a petition).
- On the other hand, Democrats and Republicans are equally likely to have engaged in the other types of political action we asked about (including “joined a rally, protest, march, or demonstration”).
- Different age groups have participated politically in different ways.
- Respondents 65 years and older are more likely than others to have voted, contacted an elected official, and donated to a political cause or candidate.
- Respondents 18-34 years old are more likely than others to have boycotted brands or products, signed or circulated a petition, attended a political meeting (town hall, city council, school board), and joined a rally, protest, march, or demonstration.
- Urban respondents are a little more likely than suburban respondents to have engaged in almost every type of political action on the list, suggesting that those who live in urban areas tend to be somewhat more politically engaged
The survey also asked respondents to reflect on the extreme storms Southwestern PA (and other parts of the country) experienced in recent months. On the whole, Pittsburgh area residents are “moderately confident” in their community’s readiness for the next big storm.
- When asked how confident they feel “about the readiness of your community (local governments, utility providers, etc.) to respond to the next big storm,” nearly half—47%—responded that they feel “moderately confident.”
- The rest of the responses were distributed in an almost perfect bell-curve pattern, with 25% feeling “very” or “extremely” confident, and 28% feeling “only a little” or “not at all” confident.
- Republicans tended to feel more confident than Democrats or independents, with 41% of Republicans feeling “very” or “extremely” confident vs. only 21% of Democrats.
- Other subgroups that tended to feel more confident than respondents on the whole: Men, those living in urban areas (vs. suburban), and higher-income respondents (especially if >$100K).
Survey Methodology
Fielding dates: June 16-23, 2025
Survey length: 5-8 minutes
Sample: 400 adults (age 18+) in the Pittsburgh region
- Responses were solicited from the proprietary Campos Research Panel (10,000+ members in the Greater Pittsburgh area). Respondents were offered a chance to win one of five $50 gift cards to incentivize participation.
- 85% of the respondents reside in Allegheny County, and 15% reside in the adjacent 5 counties (Armstrong, Beaver, Butler, Washington, Westmoreland).
- The sample was managed to be approximately representative of the 6-county region by age, gender, and race/ethnicity.
Screening Criteria:
- Age is 18 or older
- Resides in Allegheny, Armstrong, Beaver, Butler, Washington, or Westmoreland counties
