Page Nav

HIDE

Pages

Classic Header

{fbt_classic_header}

Breaking News:

latest

More than 70% of Americans approve of Biden's handling of the pandemic including almost HALF of Republicans

  Nearly half of Republicans approve of the job Joe Biden is doing in handling the coronavirus pandemic, a new AP-NORC Center for Public Aff...

 Nearly half of Republicans approve of the job Joe Biden is doing in handling the coronavirus pandemic, a new AP-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research poll released Monday shows.

The survey shows 71 per cent of Americans approve of Biden's handling of the pandemic, including 47 per cent of Republican respondents.

The president has steady support among most Americans with an overall approval rating of 63 per cent – mostly increased by the public's perception of his response to the COVID-19 pandemic.


The poll, conducted among 1,842 adults, also shows an uptick in Americans' overall optimism about the state of the country. The survey was taken April 29 - May 3 and has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.2 percentage points.

Fifty-four percent say the U.S. is on the right track – higher than at any point in AP-NORC polls conducted since 2017 – while 44 per cent think the nation is on the wrong track.

A new poll shows 63% of American adults approve of the job Joe Biden is doing as president

A new poll shows 63% of American adults approve of the job Joe Biden is doing as president

The AP-NORC survey also shows that 71% approve of how Biden handled the coronavirus pandemic – including 47% of Republican respondents

The AP-NORC survey also shows that 71% approve of how Biden handled the coronavirus pandemic – including 47% of Republican respondents

The numbers come on the heels of some major accomplishments in Biden's first 100 days in office, including securing the passage of a sweeping $1.9 trillion pandemic relief package and a successful vaccine rollout where more than 200 million shots were administered in the first few months in office.

The U.S., which has suffered the most virus deaths of any nation, is now viewed enviably by much of the rest of the world for its speedy vaccination program and robust supplies of the shots.

'We are turning a corner,' White House COVID-19 response coordinator Jeff Zients said.


Public worries about the pandemic are at their lowest level since February 2020, according to the poll, when the virus was first reaching the U.S.

About half of Americans say they are at least somewhat worried that they or a relative could be infected with the virus, down from about 7 in 10 just last month.

As has been the case throughout the pandemic, there is a wide partisan gap in Americans' views of pandemic risks. Among Democrats, 69 per cent say they remain at least somewhat worried about being infected with the virus, compared with just 33 per cent of Republicans.

Despite the overall positive assessments of Americans, Biden's advisers are well aware that the next phase of his presidency is potentially trickier. Vaccination rates have slowed, and the administration is grappling with how to persuade those who are reluctant to get the shots about their safety and efficacy. 


Biden's approval rating is buoyed by his response to the COVID-19 pandemic

Biden's approval rating is buoyed by his response to the COVID-19 pandemic

Biden's legislative agenda for the rest of this year also faces obstacles on Capitol Hill. Republicans are resisting his calls for passing a sweeping infrastructure package, and there's insufficient support among Democrats for overhauling Senate rules in a way that would allow the party to tackle changes to immigration policy, gun laws and voting rights on its own.

There are also potential warning signs emerging on the economy after a strong start to the year. A new government report out Friday showed employers added just 266,000 jobs in April, sharply lower than in March and far fewer than economists had expected. 

The slowdown was attributed to a multitude of factors, including nearly 3 million people reluctant to look for work because they fear catching the virus. Some businesses - and Republican lawmakers - also argue that a $300-a-week jobless benefit, paid for by the federal government, is discouraging some of the unemployed from taking new jobs.

Biden, however, argued that the report is an indication that more federal spending is needed to help bolster the economy. He's pitched to Congress a $4 trillion package for spending on infrastructure, education and children, a measure many liberal Democrats say should be bigger and most Republicans argue is far too large.

'We never thought that after the first 50 or 60 days everything would be fine,' Biden said after Friday's job report was released. 'There´s more evidence our economy is moving in the right direction. But it´s clear we have a long way to go.'

What's unclear is whether the employment slowdown will continue or how it will impact Americans' views of Biden's handling of the economy. Ahead of Friday's new jobs numbers, his approval rating on the economy stood at a solid 57 per cent.

Also in the poll, 54% said the U.S. is on the right track, which is a higher figure than at any point in AP-NORC polls conducted since 2017

Also in the poll, 54% said the U.S. is on the right track, which is a higher figure than at any point in AP-NORC polls conducted since 2017

Compared with Biden's approval ratings on the pandemic, there is a starker partisan divide in views of his handling of the economy. Nearly all Democrats, 91 per cent, back his economic stewardship, while just 19 per cent of GOP voters do.

While the pandemic and the economy have dominated Biden's early months in office, other significant issues loom.

Immigration in particular has become a growing concern for the White House as it grapples with an increase in migration, including by unaccompanied minors, at the U.S. border with Mexico. Republicans have tried to tie the uptick to Biden's rollback of more stringent border policies enacted by his predecessor, Donald Trump.

Immigration is also among Biden's lowest-rated issues in the AP-NORC survey. Overall, 43 per cent approve of his handling of the issue, while 54 per cent disapprove.

The president also receives lower marks on gun policy, which has catapulted back to the forefront of the national debate following a string of mass shootings across the country. Americans are largely split over Biden's approach to the issue, with 48 per cent approving and 49 per cent disapproving.

The next phase of Biden's presidency is also likely to include more action on foreign policy. He announced that all U.S. troops will withdraw from Afghanistan by September, and American negotiators have resumed discussions with Iran on a new nuclear agreement. The White House has also signaled that Biden may hold his first in-person meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin this summer.

Thus far, a slim majority of Americans, 54 per cent, say they approve of Biden's foreign policy.

No comments