President Biden’s approval rating remains stuck at 42% and three-quarters of voters are “very concerned” about inflation, according to a poll Thursday that underscored Mr. Biden’s political challenges.
Mr. Biden’s approval is level with the rating he received in the same NewsNation/Decision Desk HQ poll last month, signaling a lack of improvement despite efforts to stabilize the economy and manage other crises like COVID-19 and Russian President Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine.
Nearly 58% of voters disapprove of his performance.
Inflation stands out as a top concern for voters, with more than 7 in 10 people citing it on a list of four issues compared to 15% who cited crime, 10% who cited COVID-19 and fewer than 4% pointed to unemployment.
The poll found that 76% of people are “very concerned” about inflation and 21% are somewhat concerned while less than 3% are not concerned.
Mr. Biden has pressed companies to lower their prices as he tries to stabilize supply chains that were disrupted by the pandemic. He also has blamed Mr. Putin’s invasion of Ukraine for high gas prices and is pushing energy companies to refine more oil into gasoline.
His critics say the administration overheated the economy with stimulus dollars in early 2021 and failed to produce enough domestic energy to decrease gas prices.
More than 4 in 10 voters blame Mr. Biden for the state of the economy today compared to 21% who blame Republicans in Congress, 18% who blame congressional Democrats and 19% who point the finger at financial institutions.
More than 8 in 10 voters would favor their company allowing them to work from home to save money on gas, as nearly 6 in 10 believe gas prices will only be higher six months from now.
Republicans are making hay over inflation ahead of midterm elections in which they predict big wins.
The poll suggests House contests are a toss-up in broad terms. Asked who they’d prefer if a district race was held today, 42.76% preferred the GOP candidate and 42.58% preferred the Democrat.
The NewsNation/Decision Desk HQ poll was conducted among 1,006 registered voters Monday and Tuesday, and most of its questions had a margin of error of plus or minus 3 percentage points.
• Tom Howell Jr. can be reached at thowell@washingtontimes.com.
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