- Broadly, Americans say Biden “values hard work” and is “trying to do what’s best for the country”; on Ukraine specifically, they see him as “working well with allies,” “putting America’s best interests first,” and as “good for democracy.”
- There has been a slight improvement in perceptions of job growth following the State of the Union address; yet, more still believe there was job loss/stagnation than growth in the last year.
- On the pandemic, there is renewed optimism that matches pre-Delta variant levels: three in five now say the “worst is over” as Biden’s approval on his handling of the pandemic jumps by nearly double digits.
There Has Been Slight Improvement in Biden’s Overall Approval and Larger Growth on Pandemic Ratings
Biden’s approval ratings on the economy are consistently underwater (net -15 this wave, -16 in late February), while there has been a net improvement of 4 points on his overall approval (from -12 to -8) and 8 points on his pandemic approval (from -1 to +7).
More Americans Report Hearing Positive News on Biden, Focusing in on Ukraine as Coronavirus Recedes
For the first time since December 2021, nearly three in five Americans report hearing positive news about Biden. In a separate question, 78% of Americans report hearing “a lot” or “some” about Biden in the past few days.
Ratings of Biden’s Approach to Handling the Pandemic Have Improved After the State of the Union
Since late February, Biden’s approval on the coronavirus vaccine rollout and overall handling of the pandemic have improved by a net 12 points (+30 to +42) and a net 8 points (-1 to +7), respectively. Biden and Democrats are more trusted to combat the pandemic by a net 18 points, up 7 since late February (from net +11).
Biden Increasingly Seen as Valuing Hard Work, Doing What’s Best for the Country
Since November, there has been a 4-point increase in the share who describe him as “valuing hard work” and 5 points on “trying to do what’s best for the country.”
Americans See a Range of Positives as Describing Biden’s Leadership on Ukraine, Especially “Working Well With Allies”
Among independents and foreign policy swing, majorities say “working well with allies,” “putting America’s best interests first,” “good for democracy,” and “steady” describe his leadership well.
Following the State of the Union, There Has Been a Slight Uptick in Recognition of Job Growth
There has been a 7-point increase since our last survey in late February in the share saying the U.S. economy experienced more growth last year (from 19% to 26%) and a 4-point increase in the share saying more jobs were created than lost last year (from 19% to 24%).
- Among economically persuadable Americans, there has been no change in perceived job growth (13%) but there has been an uptick in the share who say more jobs were created than lost last year (from 19% to 24%).
Majorities Support Biden and Democrats’ New Economic Plan
A version of Biden’s economic plan with a price tag and naming universal pre-K earns net +37 support overall and +33 among independents; another version without a price tag and with clean energy investments earns net +43 support overall and +27 among independents.
Optimism on the State of the Pandemic Now Reaches Pre-Delta Variant Highs from Last Summer
While nearly three in five Democrats (59%) and 67% of Republicans say the “worst is over,” 49% of independents say the same – though another 28% of independents say they are uncertain.
Since Late February, There Has Been a Downtick in the Share Who Say Pandemic Won’t Be Over Until End of 2022 or Never
While there has been an 8-point decrease in the share who say the pandemic won’t be over until either the end of 2022 or never since late February, there has still been a 5-point increase in negativity since March 2021, and a 29-point increase since April 2020.
About The Study
This release features findings from national online surveys of 1,000 registered voters conducted March 3-7, 2022. Additional interviews were conducted among 100 Hispanic voters, 103 African American voters, 100 independents without a partisan lean, and 74 Asian American and Pacific Islander voters.