ABC/Ipsos Poll Shows Confidence in Biden on Key Issues Is Eroding

Confidence in how President Joe Biden is handling key issues including the pandemic, immigration, and rebuilding the nation's infrastructure is eroding less than a year after he took office, even among members of his own party, according to a new ABC News/Ipsos poll. 

The issues-specific poll reflects Biden's overall approval rating of 49% disapproval and 45% approval as shown by FiveThirtyEight's averages, reports ABC News. It also reveals that the president's strongest numbers come from his approval on how he's handling the COVID-19 pandemic, with 57% of Americans approving. 

But the poll, which was conducted from Sept. 24-28 and came almost a month after the service members withdrawals from Afghanistan and the deaths of 13 U.S. service members in a terrorist attack at the Kabul International Airport, shows the president's numbers declining from those reported in an ABC News/Ipsos poll in August.

The poll shows that most Democrats still back Biden on his handling of COVID-19 by 91%; rebuilding infrastructure by 87%; and the economic recovery by 84%. 

However, support dropped from Democrats on his handling of Afghanistan at 69%; gun violence at 65%; and immigration and the southern border at 60%. 

With the lower numbers from his own party in the poll, Biden's overall approval dropped below 40% on key issues such as gun violence, at 38%; Afghanistan, 38%; and the border situation, 33%, the poll revealed. 

Biden's numbers dropped by 7 points overall on the pandemic, and by 14 points among Republicans, and vaccination hesitancy, as shown in the poll, could hinder his numbers further as shots become approved for children: 

• 56% of parents with children under 12 say they are likely to have their child get the coronavirus vaccine when it becomes available. 
• 43% of parents say they're not likely to have their children vaccinated. 
• 21% of parents who have had at least one shot say they're not likely to get their children vaccinated. 
• 89% of unvaccinated parents said they're not likely to have their children get the shots. 
• 78% of Democrats said they will get their children vaccinated. 
• 61% of independents said they'll get their children vaccinated. 
• 38% of Republicans responded that their children will be vaccinated. 

The economic recovery from the pandemic is also causing Biden problems, the poll showed, with the numbers almost equally divided by 51% to 48%. However, the percentage of people who disapprove of Biden on the economy grew by 7 points since the August poll. 

The poll also showed that Americans still approve of how Biden has handled the passage of a bill to rebuild the nation's infrastructure, with disapproval increasing by 9 points since the August poll to 55% in favor and 44% against: 

• Approval dropped by 10 points with Republicans and 9 points with independents. 
• Black Americans support his handling of infrastructure by 71% and Hispanic Americans by 70%, but 54% of white Americans disapprove. 

Meanwhile, on immigration:

• 58% believe the United States should allow migrants seeking asylum to remain, but 40% said they should be immediately deported to their home countries.
• 83% of Democrats and 57% of independents think migrants should be allowed to stay until their asylum cases are heard, but 72% of Republicans said they should be deported.      

The poll was conducted by Ipsos Public Affairs‘ KnowledgePanel among a random national sample of 1,101 adults. This included an oversample of 537 parents with children under the age of 12. The overall results had a margin of error of 3.7 points, and among parents, the margin of error was 4.7 points. The poll included 31% Democrats; 24% Republicans; and 36% independents. 

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