More than half of voters 'hopeful' going into Trump's 2nd term: Poll 

More than half of voters are "hopeful" going into President-elect Trump's second term in the White House, according to a poll released on Wednesday. 

The new Fox News survey found that around 54 percent of voters feel “hopeful” following Trump’s win over Vice President Harris in the 2024 U.S. presidential election. Some 45 percent of respondents said the opposite. 

Meanwhile, those who did or did not feel relieved about the election results were split at 50 percent. Just over half, 51 percent, were "not very" or "not all" excited about the Republican candidate's November victory, while the other 48 percent were, according to the survey. 

The pollsters found that around four-in-10, or 40 percent, said they were depressed and 39 percent said they were angry. Another 50 percent said they were surprised by the electoral outcome. 

The economy was still the top issue in the election at 34 percent. Immigration and border security were in second place with 21 percent. No other issue was in double-digits, according to the poll. Health care was third at 8 percent. 

Approximately 60 percent of respondents said it is "extremely" important that Trump focuses on slashing food and gas prices. Cutting taxes for individuals was second at 47 percent while in third was strengthening national defense at 42 percent. 

Lowering prices had bipartisan support among respondents, with 49 percent of Democrats, 69 percent of Republicans and 63 percent of Independents arguing it should be Trump’s focus point upon return to the Oval Office. 

Among Trump's Cabinet picks, Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), candidate for Secretary of State, leads the way with 46 percent saying they would vote to confirm while 35 percent said they would not. 

Around 48 percent said they would vote for Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who Trump selected to be the next head of Health and Human Services (HHS). Some 43 percent said they would not. Apart from Kennedy, Trump’s choice for attorney general, Pam Bondi, and Secretary of the Treasury pick, Scott Bessent, also had a 5-point positive ratio among respondents. 

Secretary of Defense pick Pete Hegseth had the lowest rating, with 40 percent of respondents saying they would not vote for him while another 31 percent said they would back the embattled nominee. 

The Fox News Poll was conducted from Dec. 6-9 among 1,015 registered voters. The margin of error was 3 percentage points.