As President Trump’s 100 days of his second term unfolded, Roofing Contractor conducted (an admittedly observational versus empirical) LinkedIn poll of industry professionals. 

Roofing and exteriors contractors, long sensitive to material and labor costs, voiced overwhelmingly negative sentiments about the start of Trump’s second-term economic record. 

Our results found sharply negative views of the president’s trade and economic policies, closely mirroring — and in some cases exceeding — the pessimism seen in national surveys.

Nearly one-third (32%) of roofers say “tariffs are hurting business,” 29% see “the economy slowing,” and just 19% believe “business is thriving.” 

Industry pressures — rising material costs, labor shortages and aggressive tariff schedules — help explain why roofers seem even more downbeat than the average American.

National polls by Reuters/Ipsos, ABC News/Washington Post/Ipsos, Fox News, CNN/SSRS and Marist all show approval levels below 50% as concerns over tariffs, inflation and economic mismanagement deepen. 

In response to the poll’s findings, the National Roofing Contractors Association issued a statement commenting that the need for economic certainty is consistent with broader industry trends. 

“NRCA continues to advocate for federal policies that will improve economic certainty, including pro-growth tax reform and solutions that meet our industry's workforce challenges, so our members have the ability to grow their businesses, increase employees' wages and reinvest in their communities. These priorities support growth in the American economy, which is always a key focus for NRCA.” 

Craig Brightup, currently a government affairs consultant to the NRCA who ran the trade group’s Washington, D.C. office for nearly two decades, said the poll’s results are what he would expect between the time Trump reentered the White House and now, considering how much uncertainty the president’s tariff scheme has unleashed in the business world.

“As a result, many businesses have hit the pause button on future planning and making capital investments until there’s more clarity on that front,” Brightup said in an email.

“Once that happens the economy is positioned for growth despite the Q1 GDP report, and we should see an uptick in the AIA’s Architectural Billings Index and other building indexes,” he added. “If congressional Republicans can pass a reconciliation bill by July to extend the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, then we could see the economy really take off.”

It is important to note that the small sample size and self-selection of RC’s LinkedIn poll introduce a margin of error higher than average.

Key Sentiments

The Roofing Contractor audience placed tariffs and anemic growth at the top of their concerns:

• Tariffs are hurting business: 32%
• Economy is slowing: 29%
• Business is thriving: 19%
• Immigrant crackdown is good: 14%
• Finding labor is harder: 6%

Based on the results, tariffs are clearly front of mind for our readers, who are seeing material costs climb and experiencing jittery supply chains, just as national data warns of a looming downturn.

Comparison with National Polls

Roofers’ pessimism aligns with — and in some cases exceeds — broader U.S. opinion:

All five national surveys report sub-45% approval for Trump at the 100-day mark, with economic management and tariffs among the lowest-scoring issues. RC's’ 32% “tariffs hurting business” sentiment even exceeds the 36% who approved of Trump’s economic management in the Reuters/Ipsos poll.

What the Poll Metrics Mean and Their Significance

• Possible respondents: 22,186 LinkedIn followers
• Impressions: 4,166
• Total votes: 216 (5.2% of impressions; 0.97% of possible)
• Click-through rate: 4.46% (186 clicks of 4,166 impressions)
• Engagement rate: 4.7% (196 engagements of 4,166 impressions)

With just 216 votes, the Roofing Contractor poll carries a statistical margin of error of about ±6.7 percentage points at the 95% confidence level (1.96×√[0.25/216]) — roughly double that of larger national polls.

Contextual Information

• Economic indicators paint a challenging backdrop for roofers and other contractors.
• The Washington Post reported that U.S. GDP contracted 0.3% in Q1 2025, the first shrinkage in three years.
• Tariffs on Canada, Mexico and China disrupt material imports, raising costs for steel, lumber and other roofing supplies.
• Labor shortages persist: despite a national unemployment rate of 4.4%, construction firms report difficulty filling skilled roles.

Takeaways

• What’s new: Roofers rate tariffs and slowdown as top negatives in Trump’s first 100 days.
• Key detail: 61% of contractors see business hurting or slowing; only 19% see thriving.
• Wider context: National approval ratings are sub-45% across multiple polls.
• Methodological note: Small LinkedIn sample yields ±6.7% error, potential self-selection bias.
• Background: Material cost spikes and labor constraints weigh heavily on construction trades.

Roofing professionals’ skepticism of trade and economic policy outpaces that of the general public, underlining how tariffs and material costs bite hardest in cost-sensitive industries. 

While national polls show broad unease with President Trump’s economic stewardship, the roofing sector’s intensified negativity signals acute operational strains that may presage broader small business pushback if conditions do not improve.