Lingering inflation worries keep Biden approval stagnant at 40%-Reuters/Ipsos
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[August 09, 2023]
By Josephine Walker
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Joe Biden's public approval rating
held steady at 40% in early August, with concerns about the economy
souring Americans' opinion of his performance despite falling inflation,
according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll this week.
The three-day online poll, which asked Americans if they approve or
disapprove of the way Biden is handling his job, matched the July
reading of 40%.
Some 54% of respondents said they disapproved of the Democratic
president's performance and 6% were unsure or would not answer. The
survey has a three percentage point margin of error.
The economy, unemployment and jobs remained Americans' top concern with
a fifth of respondents citing that as the most important problem facing
the U.S. today. A full 60% of Americans, including one in three
Democrats, said they disapproved of Biden's handling of inflation.
Top Cabinet officials and Biden himself have begun to fan out to events
across the country to try to highlight recent economic gains that the
White House argues are evidence that what they call the "Bidenomics"
agenda is working.
U.S. households have struggled with the most severe inflation in decades
under Biden, though the rate of price increases has recently fallen
sharply. Economic growth has been modest but the unemployment rate has
fallen to its lowest levels in decades.
A separate Reuters/Ipsos poll last week found that worries about the
economy could cost Biden support in the 2024 election, when he faces a
likely rematch with Republican former President Donald Trump. One in
five respondents who voted for Biden in 2020 said they weren't sure who
they would vote for this time.
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U.S. President Joe Biden speaks about
protecting Social Security, Medicare, and lowering prescription drug
costs, during a visit to OB Johnson Park and Community Center, in
Hallandale Beach, Florida, U.S. November 1, 2022. REUTERS/Kevin
Lamarque/File Photo
The latest poll's approval rating for Biden of 40% was just four
points higher than the 36% lows he hit in mid-2022.
The survey had some heartening news for Democrats as well. With some
Republican state-level officials pushing for increasingly hardline
bans on abortion, the poll found that 81% of Americans oppose the
idea of allowing states to criminally prosecute people who travel to
other states for abortions. That included 68% of Republicans and 90%
of Democrats.
Some 70% of Americans support requiring “ghost guns,” or firearms
that are built from kits at home, to be given serial numbers and
restricted to production by licensed manufacturers only, including
61% of Republicans. Biden's administration is trying to rein in the
sale of "ghost guns."
The Reuters/Ipsos poll was conducted online, in English, Aug. 4-6
and collected responses from 1,032 adults, using a nationally
representative sample.
(Reporting by Josephine Walker; Editing by Scott Malone and Alistair
Bell)
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