|
August 21, 2024
Biden Job Approvals Improve
A total of 45% of Americans say they approve of
the way Joe Biden is handling his job as president and 49% say they
disapprove of the way Biden is handling his job according to the latest
survey from the American Research Group. In July, 41% approved of
the way Biden was handling his job as president and 53%
disapproved.
When it comes to Biden's handling of the economy, 43% of Americans approve
and 51% disapprove. In July, 39% approved of the way Biden was
handling the economy and 55% disapproved. Among Americans registered to vote, 46% approve
of the way Biden is handling his job as president and 58% disapprove.
On Biden's handling of the economy, 44% of registered voters approve
and 51% disapprove.
Of the 45% of Americans saying they approve of the way Biden is handling
his job as president, 58% say they expect the national economy will be
better a year from now. Of the 49% saying they disapprove of the way
Biden his handling his job as president, 38% say they expect the
national economy will be worse a year from now.
Of the 45% of Americans saying they approve of the way Biden
is
handling his job as president, 54% say they expect the financial
situations in their households will be better a year from now. Of the
49% saying they disapprove of the way Biden his handling his job as
president, 41% say they expect the financial situations in their
households will be worse a year from now. In
comparison to this point in Donald Trump's term in office (August 2020),
38% of Americans approved of the way Trump was handling his job as
president, 59% disapproved, and 3% were undecided. As for Trump's
handling of the economy in August 2020, 40% approved, 55% disapproved,
and 5% were undecided.
The results presented here are based on 1,100
completed interviews conducted among a nationwide random sample of
adults August 17 through 20,
2024.
The theoretical margin of error for the total sample is plus or minus
3 percentage points, 95% of the time, on questions where opinion is
evenly split.
Overall, 45% of Americans say that they approve of
the way Joe Biden is handling his job as president, 49% disapprove,
and 6% are undecided.
| Biden job
approval |
Approve |
Disapprove |
Undecided |
|
| Aug 2024 |
45% |
49% |
6% |
| Jul 2024 |
41% |
53% |
6% |
| Jun 2024 |
44% |
51% |
5% |
| May 2024 |
39% |
56% |
5% |
| Apr 2024 |
42% |
53% |
5% |
| Mar 2024 |
46% |
50% |
4% |
| Feb 2024 |
43% |
51% |
6% |
| Jan 2024 |
40% |
54% |
6% |
| Dec 2023 |
37% |
57% |
6% |
| Nov 2023 |
37% |
57% |
6% |
| Oct 2023 |
38% |
56% |
6% |
| Sep 2023 |
39% |
56% |
5% |
| Aug 2023 |
41% |
54% |
5% |
Among Republicans (31% of adults registered to
vote in the survey and 28% of all adults in the survey), 8% approve of
the way Biden is handling his job and 86% disapprove. Among Democrats
(32% of adults registered to vote in the survey and 29% of all adults
in the survey), 85% approve and 9% disapprove of the way Biden is
handling his job. Among independents (37% of adults registered to vote
in the survey and 34% of all adults in the survey), 43% approve and 50%
disapprove of the way Biden is handling his job as president.
Overall, 43% of Americans say that they approve of
the way Joe Biden is handling the economy, 51% disapprove, and 5%
are undecided. Among registered voters, 40% approve and 534% disapprove
of the way Biden is handling the economy.
| Biden handling
the economy |
Approve |
Disapprove |
Undecided |
|
| Aug 2024 |
43% |
51% |
5% |
| Jul 2024 |
39% |
55% |
6% |
| Jun 2024 |
41% |
54% |
5% |
| May 2024 |
36% |
59% |
5% |
| Apr 2024 |
39% |
56% |
5% |
| Mar 2024 |
43% |
52% |
5% |
| Feb 2024 |
41% |
53% |
6% |
| Jan 2024 |
38% |
57% |
5% |
| Dec 2023 |
38% |
56% |
6% |
| Nov 2023 |
35% |
60% |
5% |
| Oct 2023 |
35% |
59% |
6% |
| Sep 2023 |
37% |
59% |
4% |
| Aug 2023 |
37% |
58% |
5% |
Among Republicans, 5% approve of the way Biden is
handling the economy and 88% disapprove. Among Democrats, 85% approve
of the way Biden is handling the economy and 11% disapprove. Among
independents, 41% approve and 54% disapprove of the way Biden is
handling the economy. A total of 36% of Americans say that the national
economy is getting
better, 17% say it is staying the same, and 44% say the national
economy is getting worse.
|
National economy
|
Getting better
|
Staying the
same
|
Getting worse
|
Undecided
|
|
| Aug 2024 |
36% |
17% |
44% |
3% |
| Jul 2024 |
32% |
16% |
48% |
4% |
| Jun 2024 |
33% |
18% |
45% |
4% |
| May 2024 |
29% |
19% |
48% |
4% |
| Apr 2024 |
33% |
20% |
45% |
2% |
| Mar 2024 |
34% |
23% |
40% |
3% |
| Feb 2024 |
32% |
20% |
44% |
4% |
| Jan 2024 |
29% |
15% |
52% |
4% |
| Dec 2023 |
24% |
16% |
56% |
4% |
| Nov 2023 |
22% |
17% |
55% |
6% |
| Oct 2023 |
25% |
14% |
55% |
6% |
| Sep 2023 |
27% |
16% |
53% |
4% |
| Aug 2023 |
29% |
13% |
54% |
4% |
Among those saying they approve of the way Biden
is handling his job, 77% say getting better, 19% say staying the same,
and 3% say getting worse. Of those saying they disapprove of
the way Biden is handling his job, less than 1% say getting
better, 14%
say staying the same, and 83% say getting worse.
A total of 39% of Americans say they believe the
national economy will be better a year from now, 25% say it will be the
same, and 24% say it will be worse.
|
National economy a year from now
|
Better than
today
|
The same as
today
|
Worse than
today
|
Undecided
|
|
| Aug 2024 |
39% |
25% |
24% |
12% |
| Jul 2024 |
40% |
24% |
26% |
10% |
| Jun 2024 |
41% |
22% |
28% |
9% |
| May 2024 |
41% |
18% |
31% |
10% |
| Apr 2024 |
43% |
18% |
28% |
11% |
| Mar 2024 |
41% |
24% |
29% |
6% |
| Feb 2024 |
37% |
25% |
31% |
7% |
| Jan 2024 |
35% |
26% |
38% |
1% |
| Dec 2023 |
30% |
29% |
40% |
1% |
| Nov 2023 |
29% |
28% |
42% |
1% |
| Oct 2023 |
32% |
23% |
44% |
1% |
| Sep 2023 |
33% |
25% |
41% |
1% |
| Aug 2023 |
35% |
24% |
39% |
2% |
Among those saying they approve of the way Biden
is handling
his job, 58% say better, 29% say the same as today, and 8% say
worse
than today. Among those saying they disapprove of the way Biden is
handling his job as president, 21% say better, 21%
say the
same, 38%
say worse, and 20% are undecided.
Overall, 37% of Americans say they believe that
the national economy is in a recession, 54% say they do not believe the
economy is in a recession, and 9% are undecided.
| National
economy in a recession |
Yes
|
No
|
Undecided
|
|
| Aug 2024 |
37% |
54% |
9% |
| Jul 2024 |
42% |
47% |
11% |
| Jun 2024 |
39% |
48% |
13% |
| May 2024 |
45% |
45% |
10% |
| Apr 2024 |
41% |
50% |
9% |
| Mar 2024 |
40% |
50% |
10% |
| Feb 2024 |
42% |
47% |
11% |
| Jan 2024 |
46% |
41% |
13% |
| Dec 2023 |
47% |
39% |
14% |
| Nov 2023 |
47% |
38% |
15% |
| Oct 2023 |
46% |
41% |
13% |
| Sep 2023 |
47% |
39% |
14% |
| Aug 2023 |
48% |
39% |
13% |
Among those saying they approve of the way Biden
is handling his job, 4% say the national economy is in a
recession, 94%
say the national economy is not in a recession, and 2% are undecided.
Of those saying they disapprove of the way Biden is handling his job,
69% say the national economy is in a recession, 21% say the
national
economy is not in a recession, and 10% are undecided.
A total of 54% of Americans rate the national
economy as excellent, very good, or good and 45% rate it as bad, very
bad, or terrible.
|
National economy
|
Excellent
|
Very good
|
Good
|
Bad
|
Very bad
|
Terrible
|
Undecided
|
|
| Aug 2024 |
16% |
17% |
21% |
10% |
9% |
26% |
1% |
| Jul 2024 |
14% |
13% |
21% |
13% |
10% |
28% |
1% |
| Jun 2024 |
14% |
12% |
23% |
17% |
11% |
22% |
1% |
| May 2024 |
12% |
10% |
21% |
19% |
11% |
26% |
1% |
| Apr 2024 |
13% |
13% |
21% |
20% |
8% |
23% |
2% |
| Mar 2024 |
13% |
13% |
27% |
22% |
9% |
15% |
1% |
| Feb 2024 |
13% |
11% |
25% |
25% |
9% |
16% |
1% |
| Jan 2024 |
10% |
10% |
26% |
35% |
8% |
10% |
1% |
| Dec 2023 |
8% |
12% |
27% |
36% |
6% |
10% |
1% |
| Nov 2023 |
9% |
11% |
28% |
37% |
6% |
8% |
1% |
| Oct 2023 |
10% |
13% |
24% |
33% |
8% |
11% |
1% |
| Sep 2023 |
9% |
16% |
24% |
28% |
7% |
15% |
1% |
| Aug 2023 |
9% |
16% |
24% |
25% |
7% |
18% |
1% |
Among those saying they approve of the way Biden
is handling his job, 97% say very good, or good and 2% say
bad, very
bad, or terrible. Among those saying they disapprove of the way Biden
is handling his job, 10% say very good, or good and 89% say
bad, very
bad, or terrible.
When it comes to rating their household financial
situations, 69% of Americans give an excellent, very good, or good
rating and 27% give a bad, very bad, or terrible rating.
|
Household financial situation
|
Excellent
|
Very good
|
Good
|
Bad
|
Very bad
|
Terrible
|
Undecided
|
|
| Aug 2024 |
19% |
20% |
30% |
19% |
1% |
7% |
4% |
| Jul 2024 |
17% |
19% |
31% |
19% |
1% |
9% |
4% |
| Jun 2024 |
18% |
18% |
33% |
20% |
1% |
9% |
1% |
| May 2024 |
16% |
19% |
33% |
21% |
1% |
8% |
2% |
| Apr 2024 |
18% |
22% |
32% |
17% |
1% |
8% |
2% |
| Mar 2024 |
19% |
25% |
33% |
18% |
2% |
2% |
1% |
| Feb 2024 |
18% |
22% |
34% |
20% |
2% |
3% |
1% |
| Jan 2024 |
18% |
20% |
32% |
23% |
5% |
1% |
1% |
| Dec 2023 |
15% |
21% |
34% |
22% |
6% |
1% |
1% |
| Nov 2023 |
15% |
21% |
36% |
19% |
7% |
1% |
1% |
| Oct 2023 |
15% |
21% |
32% |
21% |
9% |
1% |
1% |
| Sep 2023 |
15% |
21% |
33% |
20% |
9% |
1% |
1% |
| Aug 2023 |
16% |
23% |
31% |
18% |
8% |
3% |
1% |
Among those saying they approve of the way Biden
is handling his job, 97% say excellent, very good, or good and 2% say
bad, very bad, or terrible. Among those saying they disapprove of the
way Biden is handling his job, 37% say very good, or good and 57% say
bad, very bad, or terrible.
A total of 19% of Americans say
they
think the financial situations in their households are getting better, 44% say staying the same, and 35% say getting worse.
|
Household financial situation
|
Getting better
|
Staying the
same
|
Getting worse
|
Undecided
|
|
| Aug 2024 |
19% |
44% |
35% |
2% |
| Jul 2024 |
15% |
44% |
39% |
2% |
| Jun 2024 |
16% |
40% |
41% |
3% |
| May 2024 |
14% |
40% |
44% |
2% |
| Apr 2024 |
16% |
43% |
39% |
2% |
| Mar 2024 |
16% |
50% |
33% |
1% |
| Feb 2024 |
15% |
48% |
36% |
1% |
| Jan 2024 |
15% |
43% |
41% |
1% |
| Dec 2023 |
12% |
43% |
44% |
1% |
| Nov 2023 |
11% |
46% |
42% |
1% |
| Oct 2023 |
14% |
39% |
46% |
1% |
| Sep 2023 |
14% |
39% |
46% |
1% |
| Aug 2023 |
16% |
40% |
42% |
2% |
Among those saying they approve of the way Biden
is handling his job, 42% say getting better, 54% say staying the same,
and 3% say getting worse. Among those saying they disapprove
of the way Biden is handling his job, less than 1% say getting
better, 31% say staying the same, and 66% say getting worse.
Looking to a year from now, 33% of Americans say
that they think their household financial situations will be better
than today, 38% say the same as today, and 26% say worse than today.
|
Household financial situation a
year from now
|
Better than
today
|
The same as
today
|
Worse than
today
|
Undecided
|
|
| Aug 2024 |
33% |
38% |
26% |
3% |
| Jul 2024 |
33% |
38% |
26% |
3% |
| Jun 2024 |
36% |
37% |
26% |
1% |
| May 2024 |
35% |
34% |
29% |
2% |
| Apr 2024 |
36% |
38% |
25% |
1% |
| Mar 2024 |
34% |
41% |
24% |
1% |
| Feb 2024 |
33% |
40% |
26% |
1% |
| Jan 2024 |
28% |
41% |
30% |
1% |
| Dec 2023 |
25% |
38% |
36% |
1% |
| Nov 2023 |
25% |
40% |
34% |
1% |
| Oct 2023 |
27% |
34% |
38% |
1% |
| Sep 2023 |
28% |
33% |
38% |
1% |
| Aug 2023 |
26% |
34% |
37% |
3% |
Among those saying they approve of the way Biden
is handling his job, 54% say better than today, 38% say the same as
today, and 6% say worse than today. Among those saying they
disapprove
of the way Biden is handling his job, 17% say better than today, 38%
say the same as today, and 41% say worse than today.
About this Survey -
Survey Sponsor: American Research Group, Inc.
The American Research Group has been conducting
national surveys of consumers since 1985.
Sample Size: 1,100 completed interviews among a
random sample of all adults age 18 and older living in households in
the continental United States (see methodology
for details). There were 308 Republicans, 320 Democrats, 375
independents, and 97 non-voters in the sample.
Sample Dates: August 17-20, 2024
Margin of Error: ± 3 percentage points, 95% of the
time, on questions where opinion is evenly split.
Question Wording and Order:
Do you approve or disapprove of the way Joe Biden
is handling his job as president?
Do you approve or disapprove of the way Joe Biden
is handling the economy? How do you rate the condition of the national
economy these days - would you say it is excellent, very good, good,
bad, very bad, or terrible?
Do you think the national economy is getting
better, staying the same, or getting worse?
Would you say that the national economy is in a
recession, or not?
A year from now, do you expect the national
economy to be better than it is today, the same as it is today, or
worse than it is today?
How do you rate the condition of the financial
situation in your household - would you say it is excellent, very good,
good, bad, very bad, or terrible?
Do you think the financial situation in your
household is getting better, staying the same, or getting worse?
A year from now, do you expect the financial
situation in your household to be better than it is today, the same as
it is today, or worse than it is today?
|
