MEMORANDUM

TO: Interested Parties

FROM: Democratic National Committee

DATE: March 23, 2021

RE: Recent Polling

It’s been just two months since Inauguration Day and Joe Biden’s approval ratings are at levels unseen since the earliest days of the Obama presidency, Americans are feeling better about the direction of the country and a broad, bipartisan coalition of Americans is uniting behind his agenda.

Unsurprisingly, Republicans have committed to an uneven and tone deaf campaign to distract voters from their staunch opposition to coronavirus relief. But at the end of the day, Americans recognize Republicans tried to block millions of dollars for critical help. See below for key points on Americans uniting behind President Biden’s agenda:

President Biden has the highest presidential approval rating in 12 years.

  • President Biden’s approval rating is above 55% in the FiveThirtyEight average – the highest rating since the first six months of the Obama presidency.

  • An American Research Group poll shows President Biden at 60% approval in March, the highest since President Obama in May 2009.

  • His current approval rating is more than 10 points higher than Donald Trump’s highest marks.

  • Biden’s 56% approval average so far in Gallup polling remains above the 53% historical average for presidents.

Americans have grown significantly more optimistic about the direction of the country since President Biden took office.

  • On the eve of President Biden’s inauguration, 21% of Americans said the country was headed in the right direction while 70% said the U.S. was on the wrong track, according to the RealClearPolitics average.

  • Now, twice as many Americans, roughly 43%, say the country is headed in the right direction and only 52% say we’re on the wrong track.

Two-thirds of voters give President Biden high marks for his handling of coronavirus.

  • In Gallup polling last month, 67% of voters approved of President Biden’s handling of the pandemic, including 34% of Republicans and 66% of independents.

  • 65% of voters in a Pew Research poll said they had confidence in President Biden to handle the outbreak.

  • A poll from Reuters/Ipsos found that 65% of Americans approve of President Biden’s COVID response, including 39% of Republicans and 54% of independents

  • And an American Research Group poll found 64% approve of President Biden’s COVID response.

A majority of Americans approve of President Biden’s handling of key issues.

  • In the Reuters/Ipsos weekly tracking poll, 52% approve of President Biden’s handling of both the economy and employment/jobs.

  • In the same poll, 51% also approve of the president’s handling of racial inequality, unifying the country, and the environment.

  • In a February’s Gallup poll, majorities approved of President Biden’s handling of foreign affairs (56%) and the economy (54%).

  • In a Pew Research poll conducted earlier this month, majorities of Americans have confidence in President Biden to handle the COVID outbreak (65%), make decisions about foreign policy (56%) and economic policy (56%), and effectively handle issues around race (55%) and criminal justice (53%).

Voters are optimistic about the impact he will have on their lives. 

  • In an American Research Group poll, 59% of Americans now say they expect the economy to be better a year from now, up from 42% who said so in January. 62% of voters approve of Joe Biden’s handling of the economy.

  • In a Pew Research poll conducted the first week of March, a majority (53%) of Americans said they had confidence in President Biden to make wise decisions about immigration policy, including 15% of Republicans and 85% of Democrats.

  • A Morning Consult poll last month found about 3 in 4 voters supported the key provisions of the White House-backed immigration reform plan, and 60% support for a path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants.

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