Biden’s approval dips to 36 percent in new Quinnipiac poll

President Biden’s job approval rating is down to just 36 percent in a new Quinnipiac University poll, signaling trouble for Democrats as they head into 2022. 

The president’s current approval rating is down a point from 37 percent last month, according to the poll. Disapproval with his job performance also ticked up slightly to 53 percent from 52 percent in October. 

Biden gets his worst reviews on his handling of the economy and foreign policy, with 34 percent and 33 percent approving, respectively. Fifty-nine percent of respondents say they disapprove of his handling of the economy, while 55 percent disapprove of his performance on foreign policy.

Just 37 percent of respondents say the president has good leadership skills, compared to 57 percent who believe he does not. And a slight majority — 51 percent — say they do not believe the president is honest, while 42 percent say he is.

Respondents are divided, 47 percent to 47 percent, on whether they believe Biden cares about average Americans. 

When it comes to Biden’s response to the coronavirus pandemic, 45 percent of Americans say they approve of his performance, while 50 percent disapprove. Likewise, 41 percent give him positive marks on climate change compared to 48 percent who disapprove. 

The latest numbers from Quinnipiac’s national poll offer a gloomy outlook for Democrats, who are preparing to defend their slim House and Senate majorities in 2022. 

The party was already expected to face historical headwinds heading into the midterm elections. Biden’s sliding approval rating, however, adds to mounting evidence that Americans may be poised to deliver an electoral blow to Democratic control in Washington next year.

To be sure, there’s still nearly a year to go before the 2022 elections, giving Biden and his party time to make up ground. They’re hoping that a recently passed $1 trillion infrastructure bill, along with a still-pending $1.75 trillion social policy and climate change bill, will give them a much-needed boost.

The Quinnipiac poll shows that those bills are more popular than not among Americans. Fifty-seven percent of respondents say they support the infrastructure bill, while 37 percent do not. Likewise, 58 percent back the larger spending bill compared to 38 percent who oppose it. 

The Quinnipiac University poll surveyed 1,378 U.S. adults, including 1,262 registered voters, from Nov. 11-15. It has a margin of error of 2.6 percentage points for the full sample of U.S. adults, and 2.8 percentage points for the sample of registered voters.