A recent Morning Consult/Politico national poll looks at Joe Biden's first year in office and how Americans feel about his leadership and his capabilities. The poll was conducted between January 15th and 16th, 2022 among a sample of 2005 registered voters and has a margin of error of plus or minus two percentage points. Let's look at the responses to some of the key questions asked by the pollsters. For the purposes of this posting, for the most part, I will look only at the overall answers rather than breaking them down by age, gender, political leaning, religion, employment type and education.
1.) Now, generally speaking, would you say that things in the country are going in the right direction, or have they pretty seriously gotten off on the wrong track?
Right direction - 32 percent
Wrong direction - 68 percent
Given that they are in charge of the Executive Office and Congress, it is a bit surprising that only 61 percent of Democrats believe that the United States is heading in the right direction.
2.) Do you approve or disapprove of the job Joe Biden is doing as President?
Strongly approve - 16 percent
Somewhat approve - 25 percent
Somewhat disapprove - 16 percent
Strongly disapprove - 40 percent
Only 34 percent of Democrats strongly approve of Joe Biden's performance while 17 percent either somewhat disapprove or strongly disapprove of his performance. In contrast, only 8 percent of Republicans either strongly approve or somewhat approve of his performance.
3.) Thinking about the November 2022 midterm elections for U.S. Congress, how enthusiastic would you say you are about voting in the midterm elections?
Extremely enthusiastic - 23 percent
Very enthusiastic - 20 percent
Somewhat enthusiastic - 29 percent
Not too enthusiastic - 20 percent
Not at all enthusiastic - 8 percent
Only 46 percent of Democrats are either extremely enthusiastic or very enthusiastic about voting in the 2022 midterm elections compared to 51 percent of Republicans.
4.) How would you rate President Joe Biden's handling of the coronavirus?
Excellent - 14 percent
Good - 21 percent
Just fair - 16 percent
Poor - 44 percent
A total of 68 percent of Democrats believe that Biden's handling of the coronavirus pandemic has been excellent or good compared to only 8 percent of Republicans.
5.) Please indicate whether you agree or disagree with the following statements: Joe Biden is a strong leader.
Strongly agree - 16 percent
Somewhat agree - 21 percent
Somewhat disagree - 14 percent
Strongly disagree - 43 percent
A total of 71 percent of Democrats either strongly agree or somewhat agree that Joe Biden is a strong leader compared to just 8 percent of Republicans.
6.) Please indicate whether you agree or disagree with the following statements: Joe Biden is a weak leader.
Strongly agree - 37 percent
Somewhat agree - 15 percent
Somewhat disagree - 14 percent
Strongly disagree - 26 percent
A total of 72 percent of Democrats either strongly disagree or somewhat disagree that Joe Biden is a weak leader compared to 84 percent of Republicans.
7.) Please indicate whether you agree or disagree with the following statements: Joe Biden is trustworthy.
Strongly agree - 20 percent
Somewhat agree - 22 percent
Somewhat disagree - 13 percent
Strongly disagree - 37 percent
A total of 78 percent of Democrats either strongly agree or somewhat agree that Joe Biden is trustworthy compared to only 11 percent of Republicans.
8.) Please indicate whether you agree or disagree with the following statements: Joe Biden is energetic.
Strongly agree - 11 percent
Somewhat agree - 21 percent
Somewhat disagree - 19 percent
Strongly disagree - 39 percent
A total of 60 percent of Democrats either strongly agree or somewhat agree that Joe Biden is energetic compared to only 10 percent of Republicans.
9.) Please indicate whether you agree or disagree with the following statements: Joe Biden is a clear communicator.
Strongly agree - 16 percent
Somewhat agree - 22 percent
Somewhat disagree - 16 percent
Strongly disagree - 40 percent
A total of 69 percent of Democrats either strongly agree or somewhat agree that Joe Biden is a clear communicator compared to only 8 percent of Republicans.
10.) Please indicate whether you agree or disagree with the following statements: Joe Biden cares about people like me.
Strongly agree - 20 percent
Somewhat agree - 21 percent
Somewhat disagree - 11 percent
Strongly disagree - 39 percent
A total of 74 percent of Democrats either strongly agree or somewhat agree that Joe Biden cares about people like me compared to only 11 percent of Republicans.
Now, given the news coverage that Biden has received over the past two years, these may be the most pertinent questions:
11.) Please indicate whether you agree or disagree with the following statements: Joe Biden is mentally fit.
Strongly agree - 22 percent
Somewhat agree - 18 percent
Somewhat disagree - 12 percent
Strongly disagree - 37 percent
A total of 74 percent of Democrats either strongly agree or somewhat agree that Joe Biden is mentally fit compared to only 10 percent of Republicans.
12.) Please indicate whether you agree or disagree with the following statements: Joe Biden is in good health.
Strongly agree - 15 percent
Somewhat agree - 22 percent
Somewhat disagree - 18 percent
Strongly disagree - 32 percent
A total of 74 percent of Democrats either strongly agree or somewhat agree that Joe Biden is in good health compared to only 10 percent of Republicans.
13.) Please indicate whether you agree or disagree with the following statements: Joe Biden is capable of leading the country.
Strongly agree - 22 percent
Somewhat agree - 21 percent
Somewhat disagree - 11 percent
Strongly disagree - 40 percent
A total of 78 percent of Democrats either strongly agree or somewhat agree that Joe Biden is capable of leading the country compared to only 11 percent of Republicans.
Let's summarize these results. Given the massive political divide in the United States, it isn't terribly surprising that Joe Biden's overall approval is split along party lines with Democrats generally approving and Republicans strongly disapproving of his performance. That said, it is surprising to see that a significant portion of Democrats are not entirely enthralled with their President's performance with roughly one quarter believing that he is not mentally fit nor is he cable of leading the United States and that nearly one in three believes that Joe Biden is not a strong leader. With the ongoing hostility between Russia and Washington, are we going to see a "wag the dog" moment, a move to distract the voting public from their general disapproval of the Biden Administration?
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I can’t help wondering how much the approval is tied to the situation. When Obama was elected, it was reported that the Republicans under Mitch McConnell tried to make Obama a one-term president by voting No for anything he did. I’m surprised he managed to accomplish anything at all.
ReplyDeleteToday, it’s the same situation with the added problem of Manchin and Sinema. Can anybody look good in such a hostile environment?