With first year almost over, new poll shows record high disapprove of Biden job performance

The president's numbers continue to suffer, particularly as they pertain to his handling of the economy
Bidenhandsraised
By Sophie Mann

A new voter survey from CNBC/Change Research shows a record percentage of respondent disapprove of how President Biden is running the country.

The poll found 56% percent of voters now say they disapprove of the job Biden is doing, the worst such reading since he took office in January 2021, the poll shows. Prior polls in the series showed his disapproval rating at 54% in early September and 49% in April. 

Sixty percent of the survey’s 1,895 respondents said they disapprove of Biden’s handling of the economy, marking a six-point decline in approval from September, the poll also found

The Democrat president is earning just a 44% approval rating on his job from his constituents, the poll released Monday also shows.

That figure stands even a few percentage points higher than some polls – Real Clear Politics puts Biden's average approval rating at a 42.3%.

The CNBC survey asked participants primarily about the economy, an ever-important issue, but especially during an election year.

In addition to the 60% of respondents saying they were displeased with the way the president has handled the economy, 72% disapprove of how he has handled the rapidly escalating price of everyday goods – as voters go the polls in November to decide whether Democrats or Republicans control Congress and ballot in key state and local races as well. 

An overwhelming majority (84%) of those polled said that the prices of groceries have gone up in the last month, while just under 20% said they are making more money than they made last year. A plurality of respondents (38%) blamed Biden for the rise in inflation, while 26% blamed the COVID-19 pandemic, and 23% pointed to corporations for higher prices. 

Positive responses to Biden's handling of the pandemic – arguably the job he was most specifically elected to perform – have fallen drastically since April, when 62% of respondents approved of his response. Now, just 45% of those polled approve of how the administration is handling the ongoing pandemic. Half of respondents said the White House vaccine mandates go too far.

Though, there is also the 24% of the population who say the administration has not gone far enough.