BACKGROUND
Americans’ views have dimmed on the way President Joe Biden is handling his job as president, with 42 percent approving and 50 percent disapproving, according to a Quinnipiac (KWIN-uh-pea-ack) University national poll of adults released today. This is the first time Biden’s job approval has dropped into negative territory since taking office. In early August, 46 percent of Americans approved and 43 percent disapproved of the way Biden was handling his job.
In today’s poll, Democrats approve 88 – 7 percent, while Republicans disapprove 91 – 7 percent and independents disapprove 52 – 34 percent.
Biden’s numbers on his handling of the response to the coronavirus are mixed, with 48 percent approving and 49 percent disapproving. This compares to August, when he received a 53 – 40 percent approval rating on his handling of the coronavirus.
Americans give him a negative score on his handling of foreign policy, 34 – 59 percent. In August, 42 percent approved and 44 percent disapproved of his handling of foreign policy. They also give Biden a negative score on his handling of his job as Commander in Chief of the U.S. military, with 40 percent approving and 55 percent disapproving.
On his handling of the economy, Biden receives a negative 42 – 52 percent rating. In August, it was a slightly negative 43 – 48 percent rating.
On his handling of climate change, Americans are divided, as 42 percent approve and 45 percent disapprove. This compares to a positive 48 – 35 percent approval rating in August.
“If there ever was a honeymoon for President Biden, it is clearly over. This is, with few exceptions, a poll full of troubling negatives… from overall job approval, to foreign policy, to the economy,”
said Quinnipiac University Polling Analyst Tim Malloy.
AFGHANISTAN
More than half of Americans, 54 – 41 percent, say they approve of President Biden’s decision to withdraw all U.S. troops from Afghanistan.
Nearly 7 in 10 Americans, 69 – 24 percent, say it was the right thing to do to end the war in Afghanistan.
However, Americans give Biden a negative 31 – 65 percent score for the way he handled withdrawing all U.S. troops from Afghanistan.
More than 6 in 10 Americans, 62 – 28 percent, say they think American troops will have to return to Afghanistan to fight terrorism. Republicans say 83 – 10 percent and independents say 65 – 25 percent that they think American troops will have to return to Afghanistan to fight terrorism, while Democrats say 52 – 38 percent they think American troops will not have to return to Afghanistan to fight terrorism.
“‘The pullout is over, but boots will be back on the ground eventually,’ predict voters, who clearly see a looming terrorist threat churning in the cauldron that is Afghanistan,”
added Malloy.
SATISFACTION
A majority of Americans (70 percent) say they are very dissatisfied (46 percent) or somewhat dissatisfied (24 percent) with the way things are going in the nation today. Almost 3 in 10 (29 percent) say that they are very satisfied (3 percent) or somewhat satisfied (26 percent).
CONGRESS
Americans give Republicans in Congress their lowest job approval rating since February 2021: a negative 23 – 65 percent rating. Democrats in Congress also receive a negative job approval, 37 – 53 percent, which is the lowest rating they have received since February 2021.
1,210 U.S. adults nationwide were surveyed from September 10th – 13th with a margin of error of +/- 2.8 percentage points.
The Quinnipiac University Poll, directed by Doug Schwartz, Ph.D. since 1994, conducts independent, non-partisan national and state polls on politics and issues. Surveys adhere to industry best practices and are based on random samples of adults using random digit dialing with live interviewers calling landlines and cell phones.
Read Full Poll on Quinnipiac/Poll and See PDF Below
