US President Joe Biden’s popularity in the country dropped further to its lowest level this month since April, a Reuters/Ipsos poll showed on Tuesday. The two-day opinion poll, which ended on Saturday, showed 39 per cent of respondents approved of Biden’s performance as president.
This tally matched April’s reading. However, it was marginally down from 40 per cent in October and 42 per cent in September. The poll had a margin of error of about three percentage points, Reuters reported.
Biden’s declining approval rating raised concerns about the Democrat’s re-election bid next year. He is widely expected to face former President Donald Trump in the 2024 US Presidential elections. Trump is the frontrunner for the Republican nomination. Recent polls have pointed to a potentially close race between the two.
What’s dropping Biden’s approval rating?
The share of poll respondents who rated “war and foreign conflicts” the No. 1 problem rose to 8 per cent in November from 4 per cent in October. This came as a sign of unease over a sharp escalation in the Israel-Palestinian conflict.
It was the highest measure of concern about war since April 2022, when 9 per cent of respondents cited it as their top concern during the early months of the Russia-Ukraine war.
A larger share — 20 percent — said the economy was the top concern. By comparison, 9 per cent cited crime and 7 per cent cited the environment.
Besides this Reuters/Ipsos poll, a new Yahoo Finance/Ipsos survey also found that over one in four voters blamed the Biden administration policies for increasing inflation rates.
Biden’s public approval rating has held below 50 per cent since August 2021, and this month’s rating was close to the lowest levels of his presidency – 36 per cent – seen in mid-2022, Reuters reported.
The Reuters/Ipsos poll gathered responses online from 1,019 adults, using a nationally representative sample.
Source: MINT