A recent poll from AP-NORC spells some very bad news for President Joe Biden when it comes to how Americans view the direction of the country and the economy. Not only do just 14 percent of respondents say that this country is going in the "right direction," while a whopping 85 percent say it's going in the "wrong direction," the results are bipartisan.
A write-up from AP-NORC highlighted as much with its headline about "Bipartisan dissatisfaction with the direction of the country and the economy," as did the Associated Press with its headline of how "Most say nation on wrong track, including Dems."
Not surprisingly, 92 percent of Republicans and 85 percent of Independents say the country is headed in the "wrong direction." Particularly noteworthy, though, is how 78 percent of Democrats say the same. As AP-NORC pointed out, Democrats are taking an increasingly negative view, despite how they "had been positive about how things were going."
85% of Americans – including 78% of Democrats – think the country is heading in the wrong direction. https://t.co/XFMfS3jIvb pic.twitter.com/1pUjcbWeAM
— AP-NORC Center (@APNORC) June 29, 2022
There are also similarly dire views on the economy across the board. Overall, 79 percent of respondents view the economy as "poor." This includes 90 percent of Republicans, 79 percent of Independents, and 67 percent of Democrats.
Again, this has been a trend. "The increasingly negative perceptions are driven by increasing pessimism among Democrats. A year ago, 37% of Democrats and 68% of Republicans described the national economy as poor," AP-NORC wrote.
Those poor numbers thus affect Biden's approval ratings on the economy, which continue to remain particularly dire. Overall, just 28 percent approve of his handling of the issue, with 69 percent disapproving. While a majority of Democrats approve, it's rather slim, at 54 percent. A significant 43 percent disapprove. Just 18 percent of Independents and 5 percent of Republicans approve.
79% of the public– including 67% of Democrats - consider the national economy to be in poor shape. https://t.co/XFMfS3jIvb pic.twitter.com/Z1u9FyuqQG
— AP-NORC Center (@APNORC) June 29, 2022
The Associated Press also featured some particularly telling comments from unsatisfied Democrats in its write-up:
“He’s doing the best he can — I can’t say he’s doing a good job,” said Chuck McClain, 74. “But his opposition is so bad. I just don’t feel the Democratic Congress is doing enough.”
The Las Vegas resident is a loyal Democrat who said he doesn’t miss an election, but he said the price of gas and groceries, Russia’s war in Ukraine and the country’s deep political divides have led more Americans to feel as though Washington is unresponsive to their needs.
“My wife and I are very frustrated with where the country is headed, and we don’t have a lot of hope for the political end of it to get any better,” he said.
...
Dorothy Vaudo, 66, said she voted for Biden in 2020 but plans to switch allegiance this year.
“I’m a Democrat so I had to vote Democrat, but that’s going to change,” said the Martin County, North Carolina resident.
This poll was conducted June 23-June 27, with 1,053 adults. It has a margin of error of plus or minus 4 percentage points.
Such poor findings among fellow Democrats appears to be a trend.
Last month, a separate poll from AP-NORC found that Biden's approval rating of 39 percent--his personal low for that poll--was due to his lack of support from fellow Democrats.
As the Associated Press highlights once again, that number remains. "The poll shows only 39% of Americans approve of Biden’s leadership overall, while 60% disapprove. His approval rating fell to its lowest point of his presidency last month and remains at that level."
These findings are also consistent, according to results from RealClearPolitics (RCP). Overall, Biden has hit another low approval rating of 38 percent, while 57.5 percent disapprove. On the issue of the economy, 33.4 percent approve while 62 percent disapprove.
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