Poll: Biden Approval Has Dropped Since August

President Joe Biden’s approval rating has dropped since August to 38%, exactly one year before the nation’s midterm elections on Nov. 8, 2022, according to a Suffolk University/USA TODAY poll of registered voters taken Nov. 3-5.

Biden’s rating now stands at 38% approve and 59% disapprove, lower than his August rating of 41% approve / 55% disapprove. Just 10% of voters said that Biden is performing better than expected in his first year as president, while 46% said worse, and 42% indicated as expected.

Survey respondents expressed significant frustration with Biden’s performance in office, so far. When asked to state the single most important goal for Biden over the next year, the number one response was “resign/retire/quit” (20%), followed by “economy/jobs” (11%), “unite/help the country” (8%), and “immigration/border patrol” (8%). And when voters were asked if Biden should run for another term in 2024, 29% answered yes while 64% said no.

“If these low approval numbers continue into 2022, it will likely impact midterm Democrats on the ballot,” said David Paleologos, director of the Suffolk University Political Research Center. “Independents demonstrated their displeasure with Biden in the Virginia election for governor, which tipped to the Republicans. If that trend continues, it could cause major problems for the Democrats in the 2022 midterms.”

Among Democrats, 28% did not want Biden to run in 2024 and 10% were undecided. Among independents, 76% did not want him to run. Among those who identified as very/somewhat liberal, 32% did not want Biden to run and 9% weren’t sure.

Generic Congressional ballot test

By an 8-point margin — 46% to 38% — voters would choose a Republican candidate over a Democratic candidate for Congress in their local congressional district. Along party lines Democrats would prefer a Democrat 94%-4%, Republicans selected their party’s nominee 96%-1%, and among independents 41% would choose the Republican, 18% Democrat, and 41% were undecided.

Infrastructure bill enjoys wide support

By a wide margin — 61% to 32% — voters support the bipartisan hard infrastructure bill to improve roads, bridges, and railroads. The bill was passed by the House of Representatives late Nov. 5, after all the fieldwork for the poll was completed.

Nearly half of voters support ‘Build Back Better’ Plan

A narrower margin of respondents — 47% to 44% — said they supported the $1.85 trillion reconciliation bill now before Congress to fund clean energy programs, pre-kindergarten, healthcare, and other soft infrastructure needs.

Some voters still favor 2024 Donald Trump candidacy

In a hypothetical rematch between Donald Trump and Joe Biden, Trump leads Biden 44% to 40%, with 11% saying they would vote for a third-party candidate. However, only 36% said they hope Trump runs in 2024, while 58% say no.