WSJ Poll: No Post-State of the Union Bounce for Biden; Net Approval -15

WASHINGTON, DC - MARCH 01: US President Joe Biden delivers the State of the Union address
Saul Loeb - Pool/Getty Images

President Biden did not receive a game-changing approval bounce after the State of the Union address (SOTU), as his approval rating remains underwater by double digits, a Wall Street Journal survey released Friday found.

The survey, conducted by Impact Research and Fabrizio, Lee & Associates after Biden’s SOTU address, found 57 percent disapproving of Biden’s job performance, compared to 42 percent who approved — a net negative of -15 percent. WSJ said these figures come “despite favorable marks for the president’s response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine and a recent State of the Union speech, which provided him an opportunity to directly speak to millions of Americans.”

Not only did Biden fail to see a positive change in this survey, but 63 percent of voters said they disapprove of his handling of inflation. Further, a plurality, 47 percent, said Republicans would be better suited to handle rampant inflation, compared to 30 percent who said Democrats would be better suited. Republicans also best Democrats in a generic ballot, 46 percent to 41 percent, “with Republicans gaining support among Black and Hispanic voters since the last Journal poll.” That is a two-point jump from the three-point edge Republicans held roughly three months ago.

According to WSJ:

The survey also found Republicans making gains among minority groups. By 9 percentage points, Hispanic voters in the new poll said they would back a Republican candidate for Congress over a Democrat. The two parties had been tied among Hispanic voters in the Journal’s survey in November.
Democratic margins also eroded among Black voters, who favored a Democrat for Congress by 35 percentage points in the new survey, down from 56 points in November. Support for a Republican candidate rose to 27% among Black voters, up from 12% in November.
“The mood of the country hasn’t gotten any better since the last poll. In fact, it’s gotten a little worse,” Democrat pollster John Anzalone observed.
The survey, taken March 2-7, 2022, among 1,500 respondents, has a margin of error of +/- 2.5 percent.

The RealClearPolitics average of polls currently shows Biden underwater, -8 percent, as Americans continue to grapple with rampant inflation and record-breaking gasoline highs in the last week alone. 

SAN RAFAEL, CALIFORNIA - OCTOBER 05: Gas prices approaching $5 a gallon are displayed in front of a Shell gas station on October 05, 2021 in San Rafael, California. Gas prices in the U.S. are continuing to rise to the highest level since 2014. According to AAA, the national average for a gallon of regular unleaded gasoline inched up to $3.20 over the last month, over $1 per gallon more than one year ago. (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

Meanwhile, anxiety across the country is spiking as Americans report high levels of stress due to rising prices, as shown in the American Psychological Association’s annual “Stress in America” poll.

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