A new survey has found that Americans overwhelmingly oppose the federal government’s sweeping cuts to the National Park Service, as well as the $1 billion budget reduction that the Trump Administration has proposed for the NPS in 2026.
The research project was launched by the National Parks Conservation Association, a nonprofit that helps fund projects at the NPS, and it was conducted by market research firm YouGov. According to the NPCA, the poll asked 3,000 adults aged 18 or older, and it was conducted between October 27 and November 2.
“This poll reaffirms that Americans are united in their support for our national parks,” Theresa Pierno, the president of the NPCA, said in a press release. “Protecting our national parks is a bipartisan issue.”
The survey asked respondents a handful of questions about the ongoing changes to the NPS, as well as some of the proposed cuts and policy changes to the agency that oversees America’s 433 NPS sites. Among its findings:
- 69 percent oppose the $1 billion in cuts proposed to the 2026 NPS budget. The cuts would be the largest to the agency’s budget in its 109-year history.
- 78 percent believe that the NPS should not remove photos, signs, or other material that tell “factual aspects of American history.”
- 60 percent oppose opening lands in or adjacent to national park sites for mining and drilling
- 62 percent oppose the White House’s plan to cut more NPS workers
“Across party lines, Americans reject the senseless cuts to budgets and park staff that have left national parks teetering on the brink,” Pierno continued. “Americans want park stories, landscapes, wildlife and histories preserved. In fact, Americans agree that we need to conserve more of these places, not undermine, dismantle and silence the ones we have.”
The poll is the latest research project showing that the U.S. national parks and the NPS continues to enjoy bipartisan support.
The Roper Center, a research and polling firm that began conducting research in the 1930s, produced its first poll on the NPS in 1983, finding that 77 percent of Americans had a highly favorable opinion on the agency. That number rose to 80 percent in 1987. The research firm Pew found that 77 percent of surveyed Americans had a favorable view of the agency in 2001.
The NPCA has conducted its own regular polls around the U.S. National Parks and the political forces impacting them. A 2010 poll found that 77 percent of Americans supported the federal government’s efforts to grow the NPS.
The recent 43-day government shutdown—the longest in U.S. history, during which all national parks remained open despite reduced staff and funding—exacerbated already existing woes caused by the budget cuts and staffing shortages. Many national park sites were unable to collect visitation fees during the shutdown, and based on the $341 million in fees collected by the NPS during fiscal year 2024, that lapse in fee collection could represent tens of millions in lost funding.
“Park rangers and support staff are the frontline defenders of America’s wildest and most iconic places and safeguard the history that defines who we are,” NPCA president Pierno added. “Losing even one more park staff puts the future of our parks at risk. And Americans overwhelmingly agree they don’t want that.”
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