More than half of voters say they are worse off under Biden: poll

More than half of voters feel worse off under President Biden, according to a new poll released Monday. 

A Harvard CAPS-Harris poll found that 55 percent of respondents said they were worse off personally during Biden’s presidency, including 85 percent of Republicans, 62 percent of independents or voters considered “other” and 21 percent of Democrats. 

Meanwhile, 45 percent of voters said they were personally better off under the Biden presidency, including 79 percent of Democrats, 38 percent of independent or voters listed as “other” and 15 percent of Republicans.  

But when respondents were asked if they were better or worse off personally under former President Trump’s administration, the poll found 61 percent of voters said better off. That percentage includes 90 percent of Republicans, 59 percent of independent or “other” voters and 33 percent of Democrats. 

Of the 39 percent who said they were worse off during Trump’s presidency, they included 67 percent of Democrats, 41 percent of independent or “other” voters and 10 percent of Republicans.  

“This is a big problem for President Joe Biden — perhaps his biggest issue — people believe they are worse off under his policies and were better off under Trump,” said Mark Penn, co-director of the Harvard CAPS-Harris Poll. 

The figures come as the 2024 general election increasingly looks like a match-up between Biden and Trump. The poll found that Biden’s approval rating had dipped multiple points since a similar survey was conducted last month — dropping from 45 percent in November to 43 percent in December. 

Biden has been mired in underwater approval ratings, while polls have also pointed to age as a major concern. Trump, meanwhile, is embroiled in four separate indictments and has received scrutiny over recent controversial statements he’s made. 

The Harvard CAPS-Harris Poll survey was conducted from Dec. 13 to 14 and surveyed 2,034 registered voters. It is a collaboration of the Center for American Political Studies at Harvard University and the Harris Poll.  

The survey is an online sample drawn from the Harris Panel and weighted to reflect known demographics. As a representative online sample, it does not report a probability confidence interval.