Ipsos Core Political : Presidential Approval Tracker (09/08/2022)
Washington, DC, September 8, 2022 – President Joe Biden has a 39% approval rating in this week’s Ipsos Core Political as Americans remain most concerned about the economy and the environment.
Detailed Findings
Two-thirds of Americans say things in this country are off on the wrong track, with only 23% saying it is heading in the right direction. The overwhelming majority of Republicans (88%) say things are off on the wrong track, followed by 69% of independents. Democrats are more divided on their sentiment, with 43% saying wrong track and 47% right direction.
Three in 10 Americans believe the economy is the most important problem facing the country, with the environment and climate (8%), the end of national abortion rights (7%), and crime or corruption (7%) following as a distant second, third, and fourth most pressing issues. All partisans agree the economy is the most important problem with 36% of Republicans, 33% of independents, and 23% of Democrats saying so. Independents (10%) and Democrats (8%) are driving the end of national abortion rights as a major issue, with only 4% of Republicans agreeing. The same is the case for the environment and climate, Democrats (14%) and independents (7%) are most likely to say it is the most important problem, with only 4% of Republicans saying the same. Finally, on crime or corruption, there is more agreement between the parties with 9% of Republicans, 7% of Democrats, and 5% of independents saying it is the most important problem.
Thirty-nine percent of Americans approve of President Biden’s performance in office, with 57% disapproving.
Seventy-five percent of Democrats approve of Biden’s work in office, but only 32% of independents and 12% of Republicans approve.
The majority of Americans want President Biden to prioritize addressing the country’s economy (56%), followed by employment and jobs (21%). International trade (3%) is the least pressing priority for Americans. Around this time last year, Americans’ top priority was COVID-19 (38% in mid-September 2021), a twenty-eight-point drop to the 10% it is at now.
All partisans agree the U.S. economy should be President Biden’s top priority, as 66% of Republicans, 54% of independents, and 50% of Democrats say so. Secondary priorities vary between parties though with Democrats putting the environment (27%) as a second priority while independents say it is employment and jobs (25%) and Republicans say it is immigration (31%).
Americans continue to approve most of President Biden’s handling of COVID-19 (51%) and the environment (47%).
Democrats are generally positive toward President Biden and his handling of the nation’s issues, giving him his highest approval for COVID-19 (79%) and the environment (76%). Independents are lukewarm on Biden, with his highest approval ratings among them being 57% for COVID-19 and 47% for the environment. Few Republicans approve of Biden’s work on the country’s issues, least of all on inflation/rising prices (10%), corruption (13%), and immigration (13%).
Thinking about the upcoming November 2022 midterm election, 36% of Americans say they are most likely to vote for the Democratic candidate, while 34% say the Republican candidate. One in 10 (11%) say they do not plan to vote and 15% are unsure. Independents (38%) are most likely to be unsure about how they will vote in the upcoming midterms (compared to only 4% of Democrats and 7% of Republicans).
About the Study
These are some of the findings of an Ipsos poll conducted between September 6-7, 2022. For this survey, a sample of 1,003 Americans age 18+ from the continental U.S., Alaska, and Hawaii were interviewed online in English. The sample includes 411 Democrats, 397 Republicans, and 120 independents. Weighting was then employed to balance demographics to ensure that the sample's composition reflects that of the adult population according to Census data and to provide results intended to approximate the sample universe. The precision of Ipsos online polls is measured using a credibility interval. In this case, the poll is accurate to within ± 3.8 percentage points, 19 times out of 20, had all Americans been polled. The credibility interval will be wider among subsets of the population. All sample surveys and polls may be subject to other sources of error, including but not limited to coverage error and measurement error. The poll also has a credibility interval of ± 5.9 percentage points for Democrats, ± 6.0 percentage points for Republicans, and ± 11.0 percentage points for independents.
For more information on this news release, please contact:
Chris Jackson
Senior Vice President, US
Public Affairs
+1 202 420-2025
[email protected]
Annaleise Lohr
Director, US
Public Affairs
[email protected]
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