President Joe Biden’s approval rating has dropped to a new low, with less than 40% of Democrats approving of his job performance, according to a new Associated Press-NORC poll, as the US grapples with issues such as inflation, the Ukraine war, the Covid-19 pandemic, and the ongoing baby formula shortage.
IMPORTANT INFORMATION
According to the poll, Biden has a 39 percent approval rating, the lowest in his presidency thus far, down from 45 percent in mid-April and 63 percent a year ago.
Biden’s previous low popularity rating came in January, when the Associated Press found that only 43% of people approved of his presidency a year after inauguration.
While Republicans’ dislike of Biden has stayed constant—less than one in ten Republicans approve of him, according to the poll—his popularity among Democrats has dwindled throughout his administration, with only 73 percent approving of his job performance presently.
According to the Associated Press, Biden’s approval among Democrats is substantially lower now than it was in 2021, when he consistently received at least 82 percent approval from his own party.
Only 38% of respondents approve of Biden’s work on immigration, while two-thirds disapprove of his handling of the economy.
The poll was conducted May 12-16 among 1,172 adults in the United States.
LARGE NUMBER
33 percent . That’s the percentage of Democrats who believe the United States is “going in the right direction,” according to the poll, down from 49% in April. According to the study, roughly 20% of respondents believe the country is headed in the right direction overall, down from nearly 30% last month.
WHAT TO BEWARE OF
The impact of Biden’s popularity among Democrats on the midterm elections. According to recent polling, Republicans are more enthusiastic about voting in November, while Democrats’ dissatisfaction with the president’s job performance may cause many on the left to stay home. However, there are events that could change that, such as if the Supreme Court overturns Roe v. Wade, which Democratic strategists hope will work as a catalyst for getting more of their base to the polls.
ESSENTIAL QUOTE
“I’m not sure how much worse it can get,” Milan Ramsey, a 29-year-old California Democrat, told the Associated Press, adding that Biden “hasn’t delivered on any of his promises.”
IMPORTANT INFORMATION
The current war in Ukraine, rising inflation, a national baby formula crisis, major shootings, and the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, which is witnessing a new increase in cases as the federal government faces a shortfall of pandemic funds, all contribute to Biden’s decreasing support rating. The AP poll matches other recent polling, with an NPR/PBS News Hour/Marist poll conducted May 9-13 indicating that 39% of people approve of Biden’s job performance. According to an average of his polls compiled by FiveThirtyEight, the president’s approval ratings have been steadily decreasing since last summer. Though Biden’s approval rating rose briefly in late February and early March, around the time the Ukraine war began, more Americans have disapproved of him than approved of him since late August 2021.
TANGENT
Former President Donald Trump had low approval ratings during his presidency, including a 40 percent approval rating just before the 2018 midterm elections, which Gallup judged to be a record low for a president heading into midterm elections. Trump had a 42 percent approval rating at this point in his presidency, according to FiveThirtyEight, with 52 percent disapproving.
