Americans seem to largely disapprove of President Joe Biden’s handling of the economy, citing continued concerns over inflation.
The Harvard CAPS/Harris Poll for the month of July found that the overall “perception of the U.S. economy remains poor.”
Voters across the political spectrum were surveyed. Approximately 13% of Republicans and 18% of independents said they believe the economy is on the “right track.”
Just over half of Democrats registered their satisfaction with the economy.
The poll noted that the “perceived strength of the U.S. economy continues to be well below 50%,” with more than 60% of respondents saying the economy is “weak” while less than 40% said it is “strong.”
“The nation’s economic outlook is beginning to soften as a result of Washington DC’s monetary and fiscal extremes,” said James Quintero of the Texas Public Policy Foundation in an emailed statement to The Dallas Express. “Make no mistake, Big Government is to blame for the mess we’re in.”
More than 30% of respondents said that price increases and inflation are “the most important issues facing the country today.” Some 26% said “economy and jobs” were the most important.
Furthermore, only 38% of respondents said they approve of President Biden’s management of the economy. Respondents suggested Republicans, including former President Donald Trump and GOP congressional members, “understand economic problems better than Biden.”
Most independents held that Republicans understand “the economic problems people in this country are having” better than President Biden.
Similarly, most voters indicated that former President Donald Trump “had better economic policies” than President Biden, with 57% of respondents saying the Biden administration is “pursuing … bad economic policies.” Among Democrats, 22% said they believe that Biden’s economic policies are “bad.”
Additionally, 60% of respondents said they are “not confident in President Biden’s ability to address the economic problems facing the country today,” including 84% of Republicans, 71% of independents, and 27% of Democrats.
When asked what President Biden must do to gain confidence in his ability to fix the economy, 30% of respondents said he must “stabilize inflation.” The second and third-most popular suggestions were cutting federal spending and pushing for wage increases, respectively.
