Ipsos Core Political : Presidential Approval Tracker (06/08/2022)

Few Americans are optimistic about the direction the country is headed in, and only 41% approve of President Biden’s performance in office.

Washington, DC, June 8, 2022 – Few Americans are optimistic about the direction the country is headed in, and only 41% approve of President Biden’s performance in office.
Detailed Findings

Only one-fifth of Americans believe the country is headed in the right direction with Democrats most optimistic (36%). Meanwhile, 87% of Republicans and 74% of independents think things are off on the wrong track.

right/wrong trackAmericans believe the economy (29%) is the most important problem facing the U.S. today, followed by crime or corruption (10%), the healthcare system (7%), and the environment and climate (7%). Democrats’ priorities align with these issues, but Republicans are more concerned about immigration (13%) than the healthcare system (3%) and the environment (3%). Independents are more divided with a three-way tie for fourth place between war and foreign conflict (6%), terrorism and extremism (6%), and morality (6%) coming before the environment (4%).

Main issues Americans are facing by party idMain issues Americans are facing

President Biden’s approval rating remains stable at 41% this week.

Biden Approval

Approval of President Biden is highest among Democrats (79%) but only 24% of independents and 10% of Republicans approve of him.   

Biden Approval by party id

Fifty-seven percent of Americans want President Biden to prioritize the economy, a five-point increase from when we last asked in early May. Employment and jobs (18%) and immigration (17%) remain the second and third priorities, respectively.

Priorities

Republicans (71%) are the driving force behind the desire for Biden to prioritize the economy, but 44% of Democrats and 57% of independents want him to do so as well.

Priorities by party id

Half of Americans continue to approve of Biden’s work on COVID-19 and it is the issue he performs best on. This is followed by a three-way tie between employment and jobs, the environment, and racial inequality (43% each).

Issue Approval

As expected, Democrats are most approving of President Biden’s work, particularly on COVID-19 (81%), employment and jobs (74%), and racial inequality (73%). Republicans are least approving of Biden’s work, especially on taxation (9%), corruption (9%), and international trade (11%).

Issue Approval party id

If the U.S. Congress 2022 elections were held today, 39% of Americans say they would vote for the Democratic candidate in their district, while 37% say they would vote for the Republican.

generic ballot

About the Study

These are some of the findings of an Ipsos poll conducted between June 6-7, 2022. For this survey, a sample of 1,005 Americans age 18+ from the continental U.S., Alaska, and Hawaii were interviewed online in English. The sample includes 442 Democrats, 376 Republicans, and 132 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 ± 5.7 percentage points for Democrats, ± 6.2 percentage points for Republicans, and ± 10.4 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]

About Ipsos

Ipsos is the world’s third-largest Insights and Analytics company, present in 90 markets and employing more than 18,000 people.

Our passionately curious research professionals, analysts, and scientists have built unique multi-specialist capabilities that provide true understanding and powerful insights into the actions, opinions, and motivations of citizens, consumers, patients, customers, or employees. We serve more than 5,000 clients across the world with 75 business solutions.

The author(s)

  • Jocelyn Duran
    Account Manager, US, Public Affairs
  • Annaleise Azevedo Lohr
    Director, US, Public Affairs
  • Charlie Rollason
    Senior Research Manager, US, Public Affairs

Related news

  • The nation’s top birthday wish as it turns 250
    Polling Survey

    The nation’s top birthday wish as it turns 250

    Five charts on how Americans feel about the nation’s 250th anniversary, how Americans feel about America 250 events, and the country’s top birthday wish for the republic’s future
  • Ipsos week in review
    Society Survey

    Ipsos week in review

    Here, the Ipsos polling team and other experts mine the past in week in data to present you with a big picture analysis of where the public stands on the most pressing issues of the day.
  • Image of robot

    AI has a PR problem with Americans

    Only 38% of Americans say the coverage of AI they see in the news is mostly favorable, down from 44% a year ago, according to new data from the Ipsos Consumer Tracker.