A Year after Inauguration, Biden Faces a More Critical and Pessimistic Public

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Americans’ confidence in President Biden’s leadership has waned over his first year in office as more people feel the country is headed in the wrong direction.

Confidence in President Joe Biden’s ability to effectively manage the White House has declined during his first year in office. Half of Americans don’t think of Biden as a strong leader or someone who understands their needs and problems. Nonetheless, most Americans think both Biden and Vice President Harris have either exceeded or met expectations. About 4 in 10 say they haven’t met expectations.

Democrats are largely positive in their assessments of Biden, and they do not lack confidence in Biden’s governing ability.  However, they are not as strongly confident as they were last year.  Across most measures, Republicans remain negative about Biden.

On the anniversary of his inauguration, Biden faces an increasingly critical and pessimistic American public. Most Americans think the country is headed in the wrong direction. 

Throughout much of his first year in office, more people approved of Biden’s job performance than disapproved. But that shifted in September and now 44% approve of how he is handling his job and 55% disapprove.  Still, Biden’s approval rating is better than his predecessor after about a year.  In February 2018, just 35% of Americans approved of former President Trump. The latest poll also shows that 47% have a favorable opinion of Biden, compared to 34% who currently hold a favorable opinion of Trump. 

As with the Obama and Trump administrations, presidential approval is a sharply partisan issue.  In January 2021, soon after his inauguration, 97% of Democrats approved of Biden’s job performance and 77% of Republicans disapproved. In the latest survey, 76% of Democrats approve and 90% of Republicans disapprove. 

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The January 2022 AP-NORC Center Poll on Biden PDF

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Biden Doesn't Have Americans Best Interest At Heart