Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Biden approval rating drops to new record low of 40 per cent

Trump received a 40 per cent approval rating in mid-March in his second year in office as well

Sravasti Dasgupta
Wednesday 23 March 2022 09:12 EDT
Comments
(Related) Joe Biden talks about ‘new world order’ in Business Roundtable address

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

US President Joe Biden’s approval ratings have plunged to a new low this week, mirroring the ratings received by his predecessor Donald Trump at the same point during his presidency, a new Reuters/Ipsos poll has shown.

The poll found 54 per cent of respondents disapprove of Mr Biden’s performance as president and only 40 per cent approve.

The poll was conducted online between 21 and 22 March and gathered responses from a total 1,005 people, including 432 Democrats and 366 Republicans.

Mr Trump’s approval rating was at 40 per cent in mid-March in his second year in office as well.

The former president’s approval rating later slumped to a low of 33 per cent in December 2017.

The Reuters/Ipsos poll found respondents listed the economy as their top concern, followed by war and foreign conflicts.

The polls come as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine last month highlighted Mr Biden’s handling of international conflicts as well as high inflation at home along with surging gas prices.

In terms of the president’s party-wise approval, 77 per cent of self-identified Democrats said they approved of his job performance, while only 10 per cent of self-identified Republicans and 27 per cent of independents gave him a positive rating.

Last week, a survey from Yahoo News/YouGov revealed Mr Biden’s job performance was supported by 41 per cent of the respondents while 53 per cent disapproved of his handling of the presidency.

Another poll from last week, conducted by The Wall Street Journal, found nearly half of those surveyed believed Mr Biden would not seek re-election in 2024.

The president’s plunging approval ratings come as Democrats struggle to retain control of the Congress ahead of the 8 November elections.

The party holds a thin majority in both the House of Representatives and the Senate.

Mr Biden’s popularity began to drop in mid-August last year as the country’s Covid-19 deaths began to rise and the US faced criticism over its chaotic military withdrawal from Afghanistan.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in