US President Joe Biden's low approval ratings and Americans' deep dissatisfaction with inflation and the economy have handed Republicans an advantage heading into the 2022 midterm elections, in which the Republican Party hopes to reclaim control of Congress.
According to a new ABC News/Washington Post poll, released Sunday, the president's approval rating has dropped to 37%, with 55% disapproving, down 4 percentage points since November and 15 points since April 2021. Only 30% of political independents and 10% of Republicans support the president.
Even inside his own party, almost a quarter of Democrats either disapprove (19%) or are undecided about Biden (4%).
Biden's Job Approval Rating
© Photo : ABC News/Washington Post poll
According to the poll, the economy (37% approve, 58% disapprove) and the COVID-19 pandemic (44% approve, 50% disapprove) are dragging Biden's ratings down.
There is also the issue with Biden's personal qualities, which correlate with his overall popularity rating. In a crisis, 43% believe he can be trusted, while 52% believe he cannot.
Only 36% think he is a strong leader, down 7 points since the last poll during the 2020 campaign, while 59% do not think so. And, according to the poll, 40% believe he has the mental acuity needed to serve effectively, down 11 points from spring 2020, while a majority of 54% do not.
Americans told the pollsters they feel Republicans would do a better job managing the economy than Democrats by a margin of 54% to 35%, a 7-point gain since November. However, those surveyed gave Democrats a modest advantage in terms of who they trust with the pandemic response (43% vs. 37%) and education (44% vs. 41%).
When asked about the midterm elections, Americans said they would prefer a Republican-controlled Congress to act as a check on Biden's policies by a margin of 50 to 40%. The outlet noted that Democrats had a 16-point lead in this poll leading into the 2018 midterm elections, when they won 40 seats during the Trump presidency. The pollsters noted that the margins are more similar to those achieved by Republicans in 2010 and 2014, when they won 13 and 63 seats, respectively, during the presidency of Barack Obama.
If the election were held today, 49% of registered voters would vote for a Republican candidate for the House, while 42% would vote for a Democrat. Among Americans who say they are registered to vote and will cast a ballot in November, the advantage rises to 54–41%.
The pollsters noted that Biden has one of the lowest approval ratings of any president heading into their first State of the Union speech, which he will deliver on Tuesday. Only former President Donald Trump, with a 36% popularity rating, reportedly had a lower approval rating. Former President Gerald Ford is tied with Biden at 37%.
The poll was conducted by phone between February 20-24, among 1,011 adult Americans. It has a margin of error of 4.0 percentage points.