Democrats are becoming less supportive of President Joe Biden and the direction in which he's leading the United States, according to a new Pew Research Center poll.
In a national survey of 5,128 adults conducted Jan. 10-17, just 29% of the Democrats polled said they are satisfied with the state of the nation. That number is down 18 percentage points since last March in a Pew Research Center poll taken shortly after Biden was sworn in.
Biden's standing among members of his party also is slipping, the poll shows. About 76% of Democrats said they approve of Biden's performance, but that is down 7 percentage points since fall:
- Overall, 41% of the adults polled said they approve of Biden's job performance, but in September, 44% approved.
- Biden's job rating fell 20 points among Democrats, from 88% to 68%.
- Approval of Biden’s performance was also down among both liberal Democrats, at 72% now compared to 80% in September, and among conservative and moderate Democrats, at 65% vs. 71% in September.
The public's opinion of the direction of the country under Biden's White House is continuing to drop as well, the poll revealed:
- 21% of the public is satisfied, compared to 33% and 36% in February 2018, near the beginning of the last midterm year.
- 28% said economic conditions are excellent or good.
- Among Republicans, however, Biden's job approval rating dropped by 10 points since July.
Favorable views of Congress have also dropped, with the changes mostly driven by Democrats:
- 28% of the public expresses a favorable opinion of Congress, vs. 36% last April.
- Democrats' view of Congress, which their party leads, dropped from 50% last April to 36%.
- Republicans' views changed slightly, from 21% to 18%.
Meanwhile, the public has a more positive image of the Democratic Party than the Republican Party, the poll shows, with 43% viewing the Democrats favorably and 35% with a favorable view of the GOP.
The poll also showed the public favors Democrats on several policy points, including climate change, COVID-19, abortion, and education, while common shares agreed with both sides on immigration, gun policy, and the economy.
Democrats were also seen as governing more honestly, by 45% to 39%, and another 51% said the Democratic Party respects the country's institutions, compared to 46% for the Republican Party.
Overwhelming majorities said they see prices skyrocketing, with 89% saying food and consumer goods are more expensive; and 82% saying gas prices are worse than they were last year. However, 56% said the availability of jobs has improved, compared to last year.
Sandy Fitzgerald ✉
Sandy Fitzgerald has more than three decades in journalism and serves as a general assignment writer for Newsmax covering news, media, and politics.