Cnn Poll Most Americans Unhappy With Biden Economy And State Of Country

As the midterm elections approach, the poll finds no sign that Biden’s standing with the public is improving — and among some key constituencies, it’s getting worse. Among Democrats, for example, Biden’s approval numbers have fallen 13 points since the spring (from 86% in a poll in late April to early May to 73% now), while his numbers among independents and Republicans have remained flat approximately even. Biden’s approval rating among Democrats for handling the economy is also in decline (62% approve, down from 71% in the spring). And on inflation, it’s barely above water (51% of Democrats approve, 47% disapprove). Among people of color, 45% now approve of Biden’s overall performance, up from 54% in the spring. That decline includes a 6-point drop among black adults and a 9-point drop among Hispanic adults. Biden’s approval ratings on his handling of the economy and inflation are now negative among black adults, who have been among the President’s strongest supporters (47% approve and 52% disapprove of the economy, while 34% approve and 65% disapprove of inflation). Few Americans who approve of Biden’s overall performance say they do so strongly. Overall, just 12% strongly approve of how Biden is handling the presidency compared to 43% who say they strongly disapprove of his job performance. Only 28% of Democrats strongly approve, while among Republicans, strong disapproval is nearly universal at 84%. Public perceptions of the economy and how things are going in the country as a whole are deeply negative and getting worse. Since the spring, the share that says things are going badly for the country has climbed 11 points to 79%, the highest since February 2009 and not the all-time worst reached in November 2008 by just four points. That change comes largely among Democrats. Just 38% of Democrats now say things are going well in the country, down from 61% in the spring. Similarly, there was a sharp drop among people of color, from 41% who said things were going well in the spring to 27% now. Only 18% of Americans describe the nation’s economy as in good shape, while 82% say economic conditions are bad. About 4 in 10 (41%) describe the economy as “very poor,” up 11 points since the spring and nearly doubling since December. As some economists warn of an impending recession, most Americans believe the country is already there. The poll finds that 64% of Americans feel the economy is currently in a recession, higher than shares said just before the Great Recession (46% felt that way in October 2007) and a recession that began in 2001 (44% said the country was already in recession in February ’01). Majorities across all parties say the country is already in a recession, including 56% of Democrats, 63% of independents and 76% of Republicans. Asked to name the biggest financial problem facing their family today, 75% cite an issue related to the cost of living or inflation, including 38% who cited inflation and rising costs in general, 29% who cited gas prices and 18% the cost of food. All of these figures have skyrocketed since last summer. One poll participant said, “Prices on everything are getting higher and higher. Are they going to stop?” Another said, “I work 40+ hours and can barely afford to survive. With the price of gas and the price of food so high, I don’t see how anyone can have extra money to do anything but work.” And a third participant said: “Inflation causes so much pain with everything we buy and everything we do.” While the public’s attention has turned sharply to inflation, few believe the President’s focus has followed. In the poll, 68% say Biden has not paid enough attention to the country’s most important problems, up from 58% who said so last November. That surpasses the previous high in a CNN poll saying a President’s attention has been misplaced (59% said Donald Trump had not paid attention to the most important problems in late summer 2017). And on this issue, Biden is losing ground among his core supporters. Among Democrats, 57 percent say they have their priorities right, down nearly 20 points from 75 percent last fall. Among people of color, just 35% say he has the right priorities, and among those younger than 35, only 23% say the President has the right focus. The poll finds Biden’s approval ratings on immigration management (39%) and the situation in Ukraine (46%) exceed those on economic issues, but majorities disapprove on both issues. The survey also shows that the personal favorability of both the President and the vice president has taken a hit. A year and a half ago, shortly before their inauguration, 59% had a favorable opinion of Biden and 51% had a favorable opinion of Kamala Harris. Now, these percentages amount to 36% and 32% respectively. Meanwhile, the public’s view of first lady Jill Biden is mixed: 34% have a favorable opinion, 29% have an unfavorable opinion and 37% are not sure how they feel about her.
The new CNN poll was conducted by SSRS from June 13 to July 13 among a random national sample of 1,459 adults initially reached by mail and is the third survey CNN has conducted using this methodology. Surveys were conducted either online or by phone with a live interview. Results for the full sample have a margin of sampling error of plus or minus 3.3 percentage points.

title: “Cnn Poll Most Americans Unhappy With Biden Economy And State Of Country " ShowToc: true date: “2022-11-05” author: “Madeline Sawyer”

As the midterm elections approach, the poll finds no sign that Biden’s standing with the public is improving — and among some key constituencies, it’s getting worse. Among Democrats, for example, Biden’s approval numbers have fallen 13 points since the spring (from 86% in a poll in late April to early May to 73% now), while his numbers among independents and Republicans have remained flat approximately even. Biden’s approval rating among Democrats for handling the economy is also in decline (62% approve, down from 71% in the spring). And on inflation, it’s barely above water (51% of Democrats approve, 47% disapprove). Among people of color, 45% now approve of Biden’s overall performance, up from 54% in the spring. That decline includes a 6-point drop among black adults and a 9-point drop among Hispanic adults. Biden’s approval ratings on his handling of the economy and inflation are now negative among black adults, who have been among the President’s strongest supporters (47% approve and 52% disapprove of the economy, while 34% approve and 65% disapprove of inflation). Few Americans who approve of Biden’s overall performance say they do so strongly. Overall, just 12% strongly approve of how Biden is handling the presidency compared to 43% who say they strongly disapprove of his job performance. Only 28% of Democrats strongly approve, while among Republicans, strong disapproval is nearly universal at 84%. Public perceptions of the economy and how things are going in the country as a whole are deeply negative and getting worse. Since the spring, the share that says things are going badly for the country has climbed 11 points to 79%, the highest since February 2009 and not the all-time worst reached in November 2008 by just four points. That change comes largely among Democrats. Just 38% of Democrats now say things are going well in the country, down from 61% in the spring. Similarly, there was a sharp drop among people of color, from 41% who said things were going well in the spring to 27% now. Only 18% of Americans describe the nation’s economy as in good shape, while 82% say economic conditions are bad. About 4 in 10 (41%) describe the economy as “very poor,” up 11 points since the spring and nearly doubling since December. As some economists warn of an impending recession, most Americans believe the country is already there. The poll finds that 64% of Americans feel the economy is currently in a recession, higher than shares said just before the Great Recession (46% felt that way in October 2007) and a recession that began in 2001 (44% said the country was already in recession in February ’01). Majorities across all parties say the country is already in a recession, including 56% of Democrats, 63% of independents and 76% of Republicans. Asked to name the biggest financial problem facing their family today, 75% cite an issue related to the cost of living or inflation, including 38% who cited inflation and rising costs in general, 29% who cited gas prices and 18% the cost of food. All of these figures have skyrocketed since last summer. One poll participant said, “Prices on everything are getting higher and higher. Are they going to stop?” Another said, “I work 40+ hours and can barely afford to survive. With the price of gas and the price of food so high, I don’t see how anyone can have extra money to do anything but work.” And a third participant said: “Inflation causes so much pain with everything we buy and everything we do.” While the public’s attention has turned sharply to inflation, few believe the President’s focus has followed. In the poll, 68% say Biden has not paid enough attention to the country’s most important problems, up from 58% who said so last November. That surpasses the previous high in a CNN poll saying a President’s attention has been misplaced (59% said Donald Trump had not paid attention to the most important problems in late summer 2017). And on this issue, Biden is losing ground among his core supporters. Among Democrats, 57 percent say they have their priorities right, down nearly 20 points from 75 percent last fall. Among people of color, just 35% say he has the right priorities, and among those younger than 35, only 23% say the President has the right focus. The poll finds Biden’s approval ratings on immigration management (39%) and the situation in Ukraine (46%) exceed those on economic issues, but majorities disapprove on both issues. The survey also shows that the personal favorability of both the President and the vice president has taken a hit. A year and a half ago, shortly before their inauguration, 59% had a favorable opinion of Biden and 51% had a favorable opinion of Kamala Harris. Now, these percentages amount to 36% and 32% respectively. Meanwhile, the public’s view of first lady Jill Biden is mixed: 34% have a favorable opinion, 29% have an unfavorable opinion and 37% are not sure how they feel about her.
The new CNN poll was conducted by SSRS from June 13 to July 13 among a random national sample of 1,459 adults initially reached by mail and is the third survey CNN has conducted using this methodology. Surveys were conducted either online or by phone with a live interview. Results for the full sample have a margin of sampling error of plus or minus 3.3 percentage points.