Fox News Poll: Voters say the state of the union is worse than a year ago
Just 31% of voters are satisfied with the way things are going in the country today
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}
As President Biden prepares to give his first State of the Union speech, voters give a status report of their own: only a quarter rate the economy positively, less than a third are satisfied with the direction of the country, and over half think the U.S. is worse off than it was a year ago. That hands Biden his worst job ratings to date, according to a new Fox News national survey.
Just 31% of voters are satisfied with the way things are going in the country today. That’s not only down from 45% at the 100-day mark of Biden’s presidency (April 2021), but it is also the lowest number who have felt that way in almost a decade. The last time satisfaction was lower was October 2013, when 26% were happy.
A majority of 58% says the country is worse off than it was a year ago, while 35% say the country is better off.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}
Interviews for the survey were completed before Russia invaded Ukraine overnight Wednesday.
Overall, 43% approve of Biden’s job performance and 56% disapprove. Those are the worst marks of his presidency -- and a reversal since June when he received his best, 56% approved and 43% disapproved.
Biden’s current ratings closely resemble former President Trump’s at this point in his presidency: 43% approved and 53% disapproved in February 2018. Yet that doesn’t tell the whole story. Only 18% "strongly" approve of Biden. For Trump, that number never fell below 25%.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}
CLICK HERE FOR TOPLINE RESULTS
Eighty-two percent of Democrats approve of Biden, down 13 points from a high of 95% in April.
On the economy, 24% of voters say it is in excellent or good shape, down from 29% earlier in Biden’s term (April 2021). Three times as many, 76%, say economic conditions are only fair or poor.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}
On the individual level, 50% feel like they have less money in their pocket compared to a year ago. Few, 14%, say they have more cash, while for 36% there’s no difference. Those who feel they’ve been hit hardest include working class Whites (60%), rural voters (58%), independents (54%), suburban women (52%), and voters with income under $50K (52%).
CLICK HERE FOR CROSSTAB RESULTS
In addition, large numbers say higher prices for groceries (77%), gas (72%), and utilities (70%) are a financial hardship for their family. A smaller number (57%), though still a majority, call increasing housing costs a hardship.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}
And they blame Biden. More than twice as many think the administration’s actions on inflation are hurting rather than helping, and nearly two-thirds say Biden is at least somewhat responsible for rising gas prices.
Those gloomy perceptions have pushed disapproval of Biden’s handling of the economy to a record 61%. Thirty-seven percent approve.
BIDEN ANNOUNCES MORE RUSSIA SANCTIONS OVER UKRAINE WAR, 7K MORE TROOPS IN GERMANY
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}
In fact, more voters disapprove than approve of the job he’s doing on every issue on the survey. He is also underwater on immigration (34% approve, 62% disapprove), crime (35%-59%), uniting the country (38%-58%), foreign policy (38%-58%), and climate change (44%-50%).
His best rating is on his handling of the coronavirus pandemic, yet even here he’s underwater by 4 points: 47% approve and 51% disapprove. Less than a year ago, his marks on the pandemic were net positive by 30 points.
The poll, released Thursday, finds 22% say inflation is the most important issue facing the country and another 16% prioritize jobs and economic growth. Next, it is the coronavirus pandemic (15%), immigration/border security (14%), voting rights/election integrity (12%), climate change (9%), crime (7%), and foreign policy (3%).
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}
Meanwhile, Biden has lost ground with voters on traits typically considered important in a president. Just over a third (36%) describe him as a strong leader -- a 13-point drop since just before the 2020 election (49% in Oct. 2020).
Four in 10 (43%) think Biden is honest and trustworthy, down from 52% in Oct. 2020.
The drop is similar on empathy, a characteristic considered one of his biggest strengths. Forty-four percent say he "cares about people" like me, down from 56% in Oct. 2020.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}
There’s a smaller 5-point decline, from 49% to 44%, on Biden having the mental soundness to serve effectively as president.
Majorities now say Biden is not a strong leader (61%), not honest (55%), doesn’t "care about people" (53%), and doesn’t have the mental soundness to serve (53%).
In addition, while 44% are confident in Biden’s judgment in a crisis, 54% aren’t.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}
On the current foreign policy crisis, 56% think Biden hasn’t been tough enough on Russia, 66% are concerned about the situation between Russia and Ukraine, and 76% think what happens in that conflict matters to life in the United States.
Poll-pourri
-- Vice President Kamala Harris’ job rating is underwater by 16 points: 40% approve, while 56% disapprove. Last month, it was 43-54%.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}
-- Republicans see the country’s top issues as inflation (28%), immigration/border security (25%), and jobs/economic growth (16%). Priorities splinter among Democrats, with inflation coming in fifth. They put coronavirus first (21%), followed by voting rights/election integrity (18%), climate change (16%), jobs/economic growth (15%), and inflation (14%).
-- Views split over the main reason for the situation at the southern border: 49% blame the Biden administration’s border and immigration policies, while 46% point to political and economic factors in migrants’ home countries.
-- Almost half of Democrats rate the economy positively (46% excellent/good) and over half are satisfied with the direction of the country (59%). Among Republicans, an overwhelming majority (90%) is unhappy with the way things are going and rates the economy negatively (93% fair/poor). Large majorities of independents are dissatisfied (79%) and say the economy is in negative shape (84%).
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}
-- Five percent of voters are "enthusiastic" about how the government is working and another 27% are "satisfied." A majority is "dissatisfied" (40%) or "angry" (27%) with Washington. Overall, these sentiments are nearly identical to how voters felt at the one-year mark during Trump’s presidency (Feb. 2018). One big difference though, is that Democrats (37%) were more than twice as likely as Republicans to be angry in 2018 (16%), while Republicans (44%) are more than four times as likely as Democrats (10%) to feel that way now.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
Conducted Feb. 19-22, 2022 under the joint direction of Beacon Research (D) and Shaw & Company Research (R), this Fox News Poll includes interviews with 1,001 registered voters nationwide who were randomly selected from a national voter file and spoke with live interviewers on both landlines and cellphones. The total sample has a margin of sampling error of plus or minus three percentage points.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}
Fox News’ Victoria Balara contributed to this report.