Welcome to NAVIGATOR – a project designed to better understand the American public’s views on issues of the day and help advocates, elected officials, and other interested parties understand the language, imagery, and messaging needed to make and win key policy arguments.
This release features findings from a national online survey of 1,007 registered voters conducted February 25-March 1, 2021. Additional interviews were conducted among 100 Hispanic voters, 100 African American voters, 100 independents without a partisan lean, and 72 Asian American and Pacific Islander voters.
Key takeaways
- Majorities approve of how Biden is handling the economy and the pandemic as president.
- Seven in ten Americans continue to support Biden’s “American Rescue Plan” as more and more report hearing “a lot” or “some” about it.
- The majority of Americans now approve of the vaccine rollout in the United States, and a plurality credit the Biden administration with the success of the rollout.
Biden and Democrats Are More Trusted on a Range of Issues from Economic Relief to the Pandemic to Health Care
Independents trust Biden and the Democratic Party more than the Republican Party on nearly all issues by double-digit margins, including by 35 points on providing pandemic relief and 34 points on combating the pandemic.
Vaccines and a New Stimulus Package Dominate Positive Conversation Around Biden
More than seven in ten independents and nearly half of Republicans report hearing “mostly positive” or an “equal mix of positive and negative” things recently about Biden: more than nine in ten Democrats say the same.
The Public Sees Biden’s Priorities Aligned With Their Own: the Pandemic and the Economy
Majorities of independents prioritize the pandemic, and even more say Biden is most focused on it.
Majorities Approve of Biden on Handling of the Economy and the Pandemic
Among independents, Biden is at +8 on his handling of the economy and +21 on the pandemic.
Four in Five Say Economy is “Not So Good” or “Poor” and Majority Are Financially “Uneasy”
Across racial and partisan groups, no more than three in ten say the economy is “excellent” or “good,” while at least two in five say they are “uneasy” about their personal finances.
Americans Continue to Prefer the Government Do More To Help Americans Financially Rather Than Less
Majorities remain more concerned about the federal government doing less to help regular people than doing more.
As More Hear About Biden Rescue Plan, Support Stays High
Seven in ten continue to support the American Rescue Plan, with nearly half having heard “a lot” or “some” – an 11-point increase over the past two weeks.
Republicans in Congress Are Seen as Blocking Biden’s Efforts to Improve the Economy and Combat the Pandemic
Pluralities believe Republicans in Congress are blocking what Biden is doing to improve the economy and pandemic.
- Even among Republicans, a third (35%) believe Congressional Republicans are blocking Biden on the economy.
In the Last Month, Approval of the Vaccine Rollout Has Increased By 16 Points
Since February 1st, there has been a 5-point increase among Republicans and an 11-point increase among independents on approval of the vaccine rollout.
Pluralities Credit Biden With Vaccine Rollout Successes and Blame Trump for Vaccine Rollout Failures
Among independents, a quarter credit Biden with the successes of the vaccine rollout while nearly the same share blame Trump for its failures.
Biden’s Approval Rating Remains Strong
More than half of Americans approve of the way Joe Biden is handling his job as president.
- Three in ten Americans (30%) “strongly approve” of the way he is handling his job as president.
