President Biden delivered his remarks on the economy and lowered prices at the White House on Tuesday.
Brendan Smialowski / AFP via Getty Images
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Brendan Smialowski / AFP via Getty Images
President Biden delivered his remarks on the economy and lowered prices at the White House on Tuesday.
Brendan Smialowski / AFP via Getty Images
Americans’ most pressing economic concern is inflation, and it’s contributing to a decline in how they view President Biden, according to one New NPR/Marist poll.
Biden’s approval fell to 42%, the lowest level recorded in the survey since Biden took office. And most also say he hasn’t delivered on his campaign promises.
The way Americans see Biden’s work reflects how they view his handling of the economy as a whole — and inflation is a top concern for voters.
When voters were asked what their top economic concern was, inflation took the top spot (39%), followed by wages (18%), labor shortage (11%), and costs. housing, unemployment and gas prices (at 9%).
For Republicans and independents, inflation is their primary economic concern, while for Democrats, it’s wages.
The survey was conducted between November 16 and 19, using direct callers who interviewed 1,048 adults, including 969 registered voters. When the survey covers all respondents or all adults, the survey has a margin of error of +/- 4.2 percentage points. When the voter is referenced, it has an error of +/- 4.3 percentage points, which means the result could be 4.3 points higher or lower.
“Regardless of strong job numbers or a surging stock market, Americans are worried about the economy and it’s caused by inflation,” said Lee Miringoff, director of the Marist Institute for Public Opinion.
The president has in recent weeks try to be on a good path on the economy, highlighting strong job and wage growth, while empathizing with Americans paying higher prices for things like gas and groceries. On Tuesday, he announced that the US is tapping into its oil reserves to try to bring down high gas prices.
Democrats are in a tough spot ahead of next year’s midterms. Historical patterns give the non-manager party a distinct advantage in the president’s first midterm elections, and Republicans are in favor of regaining control of the House of Representatives next year.
The poll, however, shows Democrats holding a small 46 percent to 41 percent advantage over the party whose people want control of Congress. But the economy is dragging them down. Republicans have a slight edge when it comes to which side will do a better job of solving that.
And just 42% approve of the way Biden is handling the economy, while a majority – 52% – disagree, which is his worst sign on the issue since taking office. His rating has dropped 6 points since September and is a far cry from his peak of 54% in April.
A majority of independents (51%) also disapprove of his handling of the economy. It’s a key group and a Biden won the 2020 presidential election.
Neither side has performed particularly well, and despite the attention of Democrats over the internal squabbles over legislative details over the past few months, Americans are blaming both parties for the deadlock in the state. Washington.
Two-thirds said disagreement was more of a cause of deadlock, while just one-quarter blamed Democrats’ inability to agree. And that includes the majority of Republicans.
