For the past several weeks, Americans’ overall approval of the way Joe Biden is handling his job has been among the lowest it has been since he took office, according to the Economist/YouGov Poll. While Biden’s approval has been declining since the start of 2022, his ratings have recently stabilized, with little change since the previous survey.
More than half of Americans (54%) disapprove of the way Biden has been handling his job, with only 37% approving. This is in stark contrast to his ratings at the time he took office. Just after Biden was inaugurated in January 2021, by 51% to 34%, Americans approved of the way he was handling his job.
Americans’ ratings of Biden show a wide partisan divide. While four in five Democrats somewhat or strongly approve of the way the President has been handling his job, only 24% of Independents and 12% of Republicans agree.
Americans’ overall disapproval of the way Biden has been handling his job mirrors how they rate Biden’s handling of specific issues — which have changed little since the prior week's poll.
When it comes to Biden’s handling of jobs and the economy, by 53% to 37%, Americans disapprove. On climate change, 47% disapprove and 37% approve. On gun control, Americans disapprove of Biden by 54% to 32%. And on abortion, 53% disapprove while 33% approve.
Americans are more narrowly split on the way Biden has been handling COVID-19, with 42% approving and 44% disapproving — little changed from the last poll that asked the question, a month earlier., Then, 44% approved and 43% disapproved.
The latest Economist/YouGov survey also shows large party differences in approval for all issues asked about. While most Democrats approve of how Biden has been handling nine issues such as the economy, abortion, and crime, only small percentages of Independents and Republicans approve.
This poll was conducted on July 16 - 19, 2022 among 1,500 U.S. adult citizens. Explore more on the methodology and data for this Economist/YouGov poll.
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