An overwhelming majority of Americans believe the country is heading in the wrong direction, including 80% of Democrats, a poll says, reflecting deep disapproval of President Joe Biden’s handling of the economy.
Eighty-five percent of American adults say the country is headed in the wrong direction and 79% rate the economy as bad, according to the Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research poll.
The results paint a bleak picture for Biden and the Democrats just months before the midterm elections in November.
Inflation is replacing the healthy 3.6% unemployment rate as the central issue for many Americans, who are suffering from higher food and fuel prices. Even among Democrats, 67% say the economic situation is bad.
Just 39% of the population approve of Biden’s management, compared to 60% who disapprove. His approval rating fell to an all-time low last month and hasn’t budged from there.
The dissatisfaction with its economic management is even higher, at 69%. Among Democrats, the percentage of those who disapprove of his economic performance rises to 43%.
Just 14% say the country is headed in the right direction, compared to 21% in May and 29% in April. During the first half of 2021, about half of the population said the country was heading in the right direction, but that number has been falling in recent months.
The survey was conducted between Thursday and Monday and many of the interviews took place after the Supreme Court eliminated protections for the constitutional right to abortion, a position contrary to what the majority of the country thinks, and that possibly contributed to the pessimistic tone of the respondents.
The dissatisfaction was bipartisan. 92% of Republicans and 78% of Democrats say the country is headed in the wrong direction. Since last month, the percentage of Democrats who think the country is headed in the wrong direction has increased; before it was 66%.
One piece of positive news for Biden, however, is that many approve of his handling of the pandemic. 53% of those surveyed gave it good marks in that area. On the other hand, only 36% approve of Biden’s handling of the issue of gun ownership and 62% disapprove.
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