64 percent of Americans think Biden's Covid-19 response is 'going badly' as his approval hits new low, latest poll reveals
Nearly two thirds of Americans believe the US is 'doing badly' on managing Covid, with Joe Biden's pandemic handling at the lowest point of his presidency, a poll has revealed.
The survey, released on Sunday found 64 per cent are unhappy with the current management of the virus, with only 36 per cent of respondents believing the government's efforts are 'going well'.
Voters also showed their dissatisfaction with Biden, with just 49 per cent of voters believing he is doing a good job on Covid.
Nearly two thirds of Americans believe the US is 'doing badly' on managing Covid, a new poll has revealed
Voters also showed their dissatisfaction with Joe Biden, with just 49 per cent of voters believing he is doing a good job on Covid
The figure in the poll carried out by YouGov and CBS News showed how support for the president has dwindled in the past year.
In March 2021, 67 per cent of respondents backed his Covid management, but the figure has slowly dropped to its lowest level.
Of those who approved of his handling of the pandemic, 78 per cent registered as liberal, while 83 per cent of those who disapproved identify as conservative.
The poll of 2,094 adults was undertaken between January 12 and 14 and found that just 35 per cent believe the current administration's policies are making the Covid situation better, while 40 per cent believe they are making it worse.
Those who believe Biden is doing a bad job on Covid cited confusing messaging as the main reason, followed by the promotion of vaccine mandates.
Separate results in the dire poll for the current administration show that a vast majority of American voters do not think Biden has his priorities straight when it comes to record-setting inflation currently gripping the country.
Among Americans who disapprove of Biden - a majority - three quarters say passing Build Back Better won't help
The agenda items the progressive president has been focused on, including his $1.75 trillion Build Back Better bill, are only pushing his critics further away, according to the survey.
The poll shows Biden starting the year with the same lackluster approval numbers he ended the last with just 44 per cent support.
It's still an improvement from a devastating Quinnipiac poll released last week that gives him a 33 per cent approval rating.
Among the majority who don't support him, more than three-quarters -- 76 per cent -- have said Biden's $1.75 trillion social and climate reform package that was indefinitely stalled by centrists in his own party last month would not boost their opinion of him.
However, 63 per cent of those detractors said they would like the president more if he got inflation under control.
But inflation and the economy remain weak points for the Biden administration across all voters
The consumer price index, which hit its highest level since June 1982, is a weak point for Biden among voters who both support him and don't.
Across all respondents, 65 per cent have said Biden is not focusing enough on inflation compared to just 28 per cent who are satisfied with the attention he's giving the issue. A measly 7 per cent said he's paying 'too much' attention to it.
His numbers on the general economy are similar, with 58 per cent of people surveyed complaining Biden's not focusing enough on it while 35 per cent claiming he's focused on the economy 'the right amount.'
The Labor Department said Wednesday that the consumer price index rose 0.5 per cent last month after surging 0.8 per cent in November.
Biden apparently tried to highlight that slowing rate of growth as an achievement.
The increase pushed annual inflation to 7 per cent in December, which is the highest level since June 1982, and up from November's 6.8 per cent annual rate.
In a statement, Biden called inflation 'a global challenge' and claimed the latest numbers were good news, showing the monthly rate of price increases slowed in December from the prior month.
Annual inflation hit 7% in December, the highest 12-month increase since June 1982
'Today’s report—which shows a meaningful reduction in headline inflation over last month, with gas prices and food prices falling—demonstrates that we are making progress in slowing the rate of price increases,' said Biden.
Nationwide, gas prices did drop 2.2 per cent in December from the prior month, but remained 50 percent higher than a year ago. Food prices were up 0.5 per cent on the month and 6.3 per cent higher than a year ago, making it unclear what falling food prices Biden was referring to.
'At the same time, this report underscores that we still have more work to do, with price increases still too high and squeezing family budgets,' Biden admitted.
A labor shortage is boosting wages, sending costs higher for businesses, and chaos in the supply chain is showing little sign of easing as Omicron sidelines workers by the millions, suggesting that high inflation could persist well into 2022.
Sunday's survey highlights Americans' dissatisfaction with the state of the country. When compared to other presidents after their first years, Biden scores lower than nearly all of his predecessors up through Ronald Reagan.
Only Donald Trump's 37 per cent approval rating after his first year is lower.
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