An AP-NORC poll showed Biden’s approval rating on the economy stagnant despite slowing inflation

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden has devoted the past several weeks to promoting the positive effects of his policies — but his efforts have yet to register meaningfully with the public.

Only 36% of adults in the United States approve of Biden’s handling of the economy, just below the 42% who approve of his overall performance, according to the new poll from the Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research.

Both numbers are close to Biden’s approval numbers over the past year and a half, incl Just two months ago. signs that improve the economic outlook He has done little to sway how people feel about the Democratic president as he prepares for a re-election campaign in 2024 that could pit him against his predecessor and opponent in 2020, the Republican. Donald Trump.

Job growth remained strong with the unemployment rate at 3.5% the pace of inflation It has slowed sharply over the past year to an annualized rate of 3.2%.

both of them Biden And Trump has weaknesses as the older candidates seek a comeback. Trump, 77, faces a slew of criminal indictments, including possession of classified materials and allegations that he tried to overturn the 2020 election, which garnered support among Republicans while leaving him with… Big weaknesses in a potential general election contest.

Biden, 80, has not yet fully brought the Democrats to his side, as the aftershocks of inflation are still gnawing at people’s minds. Along with members of his cabinet and Vice President Kamala Harris, Biden has been talking about 500 billion dollars The value of the new investments by private companies he said came from the incentives he signed into law.

Erica Basile, an educator who describes herself as a “strong Democrat,” said she feels the economy is “modest, but it’s getting better.”

“I think they are working hard in many ways to get the economy back on track post-COVID,” said Basile, who lives in Lynwood, Washington.

Only 65% ​​of Democrats approve of Biden’s economic leadership, while 76% approve of how he has managed the job in general.

In follow-up interviews, some respondents felt torn between wanting to return to a sense of normalcy after a Trump presidency and wanting more comprehensive policies to address climate change, health care costs, and taxes.

said Stephen Peters, 41, who works in IT in the White House, Tennessee. “Unfortunately, that’s what it was. I’m not satisfied because I was hoping there would be more change.”

Peters added, “It’s really in the middle of the road when a lot of people want to see more dramatic action.”

For GOP supporters like Merritt Rahn, 74, Biden has gone too far. Rahn said he is retired but also works at a Home Depot and finds that rising gas and food costs are making it difficult for families to get by. A resident of Jensen Beach, Florida, said Biden would further harm the United States by moving energy sources away from oil and gas.

“It’s the death of our society and our economy,” Ran said, adding that he believed Biden “has no idea what’s going on.”

The poll also found that 55% of Democrats say they don’t think Biden should run again in 2024, though the vast majority — 82% — said they would definitely or might support him if he were the nominee. Overall, only 24% of Americans say they want Biden to run again.

Among Democrats who agree with Biden’s handling of the economy, 58% would like to seek another term. Only 20% of those who disapprove of his performance on this issue want the sitting president to run again.

Biden still struggles to woo young Democrats, especially on the economy. Only 52% of Democrats under the age of 45 said they approved of his handling of the economy, compared to 77% of seniors.

The president used the term “Bedinomics” To try to include his ideas for lowering costs for people in Medicare, shifting toward electric cars and renewable energy, and building factories for advanced computer chips and batteries. However, some still struggle to understand the meaning of the term.

When asked about the definition of Bidenomics, Corey O’Brien, 39, said, “You know what, dude, I have no idea. Biden is a free market capitalist like most moderate Democrats.”

The age gap extends to Biden’s re-election campaign: Only 34% of Democrats under the age of 45 want him to run again, compared to 54% of those older than that. However, nearly three-quarters of younger Democrats say they would likely support him if he were the nominee, although only 28% say they would definitely do so.

O’Brien, who works in education and lives in Massachusetts, said he expects the 2024 election to be “miserable” for voters because of the prospect of a Biden-Trump comeback.

“I think it’s going to be a miserable election cycle,” he said. “We’re going to see a lot of the same things we saw in 2020.”

Biden also faces renewed pressure regarding investigations into his son Hunter’s business dealings. The poll found that a majority of Americans — 58% — hardly trust Biden to reduce corruption in government, although this has not changed since January. 30% have some confidence and 10% have a great deal of confidence.

The poll showed that 23% of Americans say they have a great deal of confidence in Biden’s ability to run the White House effectively, 31% have some confidence and 45% have barely confidence. Despite the fact that Biden has achieved many of his key policy goals, only 16% say they have a high degree of confidence in his ability to do so, while 38% say they have some confidence and 44% hardly.

Few Americans say they think the national economy is doing well: 34% describe it as very or somewhat good. No more than a third of Americans have described the economy as good since 2021.

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The survey was conducted among 1,165 adults August 10-14, 2023, using a sample drawn from NORC’s probability-based AmeriSpeak panel, which is designed to be representative of the US population. The sampling error margin for all respondents is plus or minus 3.8 percentage points.

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This story has been corrected to say that 10% of respondents have great confidence in Biden to reduce corruption in government.