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Elon Musk’s leadership of the federal Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) receives a 55% disapproval rating from Michigan voters, with support split sharply along party lines—Republicans largely approve, while Democrats overwhelmingly disapprove. Personal opinions of Musk mirror those findings, with 55% holding a negative view of him overall. Despite this, a majority of voters (53%) support creating a Michigan-based DOGE to improve state government operations. Support is strongest among middle-aged voters, men, and residents of West Michigan and the Saginaw/Flint/Bay City region.
LANSING, Mich. –– Michigan voters may not support the way Elon Musk is handling the federal Department of Government Efficiency, commonly known as DOGE, but support for creating a state-level DOGE receives clear majority support at 53%. In the latest MRG-commissioned Michigan Poll®, conducted March 24th- 28th, only 29% of respondents oppose the creation of a Michigan DOGE.
Demographic differences influence views on a state efficiency department. Notably, union households show moderate support at 51%, compared to 34% opposition. Non-union households express similar levels of support at 54%, with 28% opposing. Support also varies significantly by age, peaking among voters aged 50-64 (61% approving) and dropping among those 65 and older (41% support). A gender difference is also apparent, with men (61%) considerably more likely than women (46%) to back the proposal. Geographically, support is strongest in the Saginaw/Flint/Bay City region (62%) and West Michigan (60%), while voters in the Detroit Metro area show the lowest level of support at 48%.
“When combining the support of creating a Michigan DOGE, and the top issues of the day that include the rising cost of living and inflation, it’s clear voters want government to tighten its belt and use taxpayer money wisely,” said Jenell Leonard, President of MRG.
Musk’s Handling of DOGE
In stark contrast, 55% of respondents disapprove of Musk’s handling of DOGE, while 40% approve. Only 4% neither approve nor disapprove. The differences in opinion reveal a strong political divide: Republicans show overwhelming approval for Musk's handling of federal DOGE at 82%, while Democrats almost universally disapprove at 96%. Independents lean towards disapproval at 64%, compared to 28% approval.
"The reaction to the federal DOGE initiative under Elon Musk is deeply fractured along party lines," commented Jenell Leonard, President of MRG. "While Republicans strongly approve, the near-total disapproval among Democrats drives the overall negative numbers, indicating very little middle ground on Musk's approach."
Personal Feelings Towards Musk
In the same poll, MRG asked respondents to rate their feelings towards Elon Musk, independent of his specific duties handling DOGE. Fifty-five percent shared unfavorable opinions, with only 31%, indicating positive feelings. Meanwhile, 13% of respondents situated themselves neutrally on the matter.
"Results are telling us it’s not what he is doing, but how he is doing it when it comes to the way people feel about Musk and his handling of DOGE,” said Leonard. “While voters are skeptical of the current federal DOGE implementation, the underlying concept of a government efficiency department resonates positively with a majority of Michiganders, particularly Republicans and Independents. Results show voters like the idea of streamlining government, even if they disapprove of the specific federal approach."
The results and the wording of the questions asked by MRG follow.
Q. President Trump has ordered the Department of Government Efficiency, commonly known as “DOGE” (D-OH-JU), led by Elon Musk, to make government more efficient. In general, do you approve or disapprove of Elon Musk's handling of DOGE?
Q. Thinking about the state of Michigan, would you support or oppose the creation of a state level Department of Government Efficiency?
Q. Now, I'm going to read you the names of people that have been in the news, and I'd like you to rate your feelings toward each one as very positive, somewhat positive, neutral, somewhat negative, or very negative. If you don't know the name, please just say so. [RANDOMIZE]
MRG Michigan Poll® Spring 2025
The survey of 602 likely Michigan voters was conducted by live phone interview from March 24th- 28th 2025. The sample was randomly drawn from a listed sample of all registered voters with a history of voting and stratified by city and township to reflect voter turnout. Quotas for gender and cell phone interviews were met within each geographic area, and extra efforts were made to reach African Americans. Some columns or results may not add up to 100% because of rounding. Individual rounding may impact final totals. This survey yields a sampling margin of error of ±4 percent with a 96 percent confidence interval. The sampling margin of error for subgroups may be higher depending on the size of the subgroup.
About Marketing Resource Group (MRG)
Lansing, Michigan-based Marketing Resource Group (www.mrgmi.com) is an award-winning PR firm representing corporate, association, nonprofit, and private clients with interests in Michigan. MRG offers expertise in public affairs, communications, political campaign management, and public opinion survey research. For more than thirty years, MRG has conducted its bi-annual omnibus Michigan Poll®, tracking the pulse of Michigan voters on key statewide public policy and political issues. MRG is the only Michigan public opinion survey research firm that maintains nearly 40 years of trend analyses of voter attitudes related to state and national leaders, political parties, and the political and economic climate in Michigan. Follow MRG on X @mrgmichigan and on Facebook.
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