New polls this week show the White House may be in trouble.
A new poll by a trusted Democratic source shows that not 3 in 10 Americans believe the economy will improve in a year, and only 34 percent approve of President Biden’s performance as president.
The survey was conducted by J. Ann Seltzer for Grinnell College in Iowa. Selzer’s Iowa voter polls have a reputation for being highly accurate, especially among Democrats, who hold Iowa caucuses earlier than any other state.
While 34 percent approve of Biden’s performance in office, 52 percent disapprove and 14 percent have no opinion. 37% approve of Biden’s handling of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, 47% approve of his handling of Covid-19, and 31% approve of his handling of the economy.
Meanwhile, only 27 percent of Americans believe the economy will improve in 12 months, down 10 points from March 2021.
Biden still holds a majority in his party, with 70 percent approving of his work and 89 percent of Republicans disapproving.
While 34 percent approve of Biden’s performance in office, 52 percent disapprove and 14 percent have no opinion.
37% approve of Biden’s handling of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, 47% approve of his handling of Covid-19, and 31% approve of his handling of the economy.
Seltzer said she was interested that as many as 14 percent of Americans have no opinion about Biden. “It seems unlikely that Joe Biden is not well known enough to make a judgment. I believe this is a reflection of the high level of uncertainty everywhere — the war in Ukraine, inflation, COVID-19 and more.”
The polling data could pose problems for Democrats in the upcoming election, as the midterms are historically a referendum on the presidency. The party not in the White House also has a historical advantage.
Meanwhile, Americans remain relatively unanimous about what the nation’s position on Ukraine should be. Seventy-seven percent of Americans believe the nation should allow Ukrainian refugees to resettle here. Biden announced that 100,000 Ukrainians would be admitted on Thursday.
At the same time, 72 percent support sending American weapons to Ukraine, but 70 percent are against the introduction of American troops into battle. Americans are more divided over the introduction of a no-fly zone over Ukraine, with 52 percent opposed. This would mean that NATO troops would have to move to Ukraine with orders to shoot down Russian aircraft.
A fuel storage facility burns after Russian shelling in the town of Kalinovka on March 25.
Ukrainian servicemen guard the site of an explosion at a shopping mall as the Russian invasion of Ukraine continues, in Kyiv, Ukraine March 21.
Biden has repeatedly said that the US will not engage in a fight with Ukraine, despite the fact that troops have been transferred to neighboring countries, and the US has offered billions in humanitarian and security assistance. Biden did not supply Ukraine with the MiG-29 fighter jets they requested, fearing that it would be too escalating.
“More than 70% of Americans support the current US response to the war, but only 37% of Americans approve of the president’s work on this issue,” said Danielle Lussier, assistant professor of political science at Grinnell College. “There has been a shutdown. We see widespread support for the president’s approach – to send weapons, not troops – but the population does not want to give Biden credit for this.”
Biden still holds a majority in his party: 70 percent approve of his work, while 89 percent of Republicans disapprove
Los Angeles gas is close to $7 a gallon this week.
At the same time, Republicans may face lower voter turnout due to lack of confidence in the electoral process. Only 44 percent of Republicans are “very or somewhat confident” that the 2022 general election will be counted the way voters intend. Seventy-eight percent of Democrats are “very or somewhat” confident in the outcome of the upcoming election, as are 60 percent of independents.
The survey was conducted from 15 to 20 March, 1002 adult respondents took part in it with an error of 3.1 percentage points.
At the same time, a Fox News poll Thursday showed Biden’s approval is higher, with 45 percent approving, 54 percent disapproving, up two points from the previous month. The poll showed that 35 percent of the population approved of the economy, and a majority – 52 percent – of Americans said rising gas prices were a “serious” problem for their family.
An Associated Press and NORC Public Affairs Research Center poll released Friday found that 7 in 10 Americans say the US economy is in bad shape, while nearly two-thirds disapprove of the economy.
Yet half of Americans blame the hike in gas prices – the White House’s “Putin’s price hike” campaign may have paid off. 55% said that higher gas prices are due to factors beyond Biden’s control, 44% disagreed.
And while 68 percent said they were “extremely concerned” about gas prices, a majority of Americans, 55 percent, agreed that hurting Russian President Vladimir Putin was more important than limiting the damage to the US economy.
However, twice as many people believe that Biden’s policies are hurting the economy than helping it, 48-24%. Twenty-eight percent felt that his policies were of little value.
Prices rose 7.9% year-over-year as of February, according to the consumer price index, the highest increase in 40 years. The economy shows no signs of cooling as Putin’s invasion of Ukraine has destabilized global energy prices.
The average price of gasoline is $4.24 a gallon, according to AAA, lower than a week ago when it was $4.27 but higher than a year ago when it was just $2.87.
As higher prices drain grocery store wallets, Biden warned on Thursday that food shortages are coming.
“It will be real,” he said. “Because both Russia and Ukraine were the breadbasket of Europe, for example, for wheat.”
Ukraine produces most of the world’s wheat, barley and corn, as does Russia, and Russia is one of the world’s largest fertilizer producers.