Ipsos Core Political Survey: Presidential Approval Tracker (10/12/2022)
Washington, DC, October 12, 2022 – This week’s Ipsos Core Political shows Americans are more pessimistic now than they were this time last year and in mid-October 2018 (under President Trump’s administration). President Joe Biden stands at a 40% approval rating. At this same point in President Donald Trump’s incumbency, 43% of Americans approved of him.
Detailed Findings
Just 22% of Americans believe things in this country are headed in the right direction. Around this time last year, 27% of Americans thought things were headed in the right direction, representing a five point drop over the past year. Going back even further, to October 2018, during former President Donald Trump’s administration, 33% of Americans thought things were headed in the right direction, 11 points higher than now. Back then, 69% of Republicans thought things in the country were headed in the right direction, along with 25% of independents and 12% of Democrats. Currently, only 9% of Republicans and 13% of independents think things in this country are headed in the right direction. Even among Democrats, only 43% say things are headed in the right direction, 45% say they are off on the wrong track.
The economy (31%), crime or corruption (9%), the healthcare system (8%), and immigration (7%) are the top four issues for Americans this week. Around this time last year, the economy was also in first place, but 10 points lower (21%). Public health disease and illness was in second place (13%), it is now one of the lowest priorities (3%).
All partisans agree that the economy is the top issue, with Republicans (38%) most likely to say so, followed by independents (37%), and then Democrats (21%). Partisans are less likely to be in agreement on secondary and tertiary issues, though. For Democrats, the environment and climate (12%) is in second place, followed by the end of national abortion rights (11%). For Republicans, immigration (13%) is in second place, followed by crime or corruption (10%). Finally, for independents, crime or corruption (9%) is in second place, tied with the healthcare system (9%).
Forty percent of Americans approve of President Joe Biden’s performance in office, while 55% disapprove. Around this time in 2018, Donald Trump had a 43% approval rating.
Seventy-seven percent of Democrats still approve of President Biden’s performance in office, but only 29% of independents and 11% of Republicans approve.
When considering who they will vote for in the upcoming November 2022 midterm election, just over 1 in 3 (36%) Americans say they are most likely to vote for the Democratic candidate, while 32% say the Republican candidate. Fifteen percent say they will not or do not plan to vote and 15% say they are unsure. Only 5% say they are planning to vote for a candidate from another party. As expected, the majority of Democrats (88%) and the majority of Republicans (81%) say they will vote for a candidate from their own party. Meanwhile, most independents are likely to say they do not know who they will vote for (34%) or will not/do not plan to vote (21%).
About the Study
These are some of the findings of an Ipsos poll conducted between October 10-11, 2022. For this survey, a sample of 1,004 Americans age 18+ from the continental U.S., Alaska, and Hawaii were interviewed online in English. The sample includes 495 Democrats, 321 Republicans, and 119 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 ± 5.4 percentage points for Democrats, ± 6.7 percentage points for Republicans, and ± 11 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.
