Biden approval falls to lowest level since April -Reuters/Ipsos

Ipsos SA

07/11/2023 15:29

By Jason Lange
       WASHINGTON, Nov 7 (Reuters) - U.S. President Joe Biden's
popularity slipped this month to its lowest level since April, a
Reuters/Ipsos poll showed, the latest data point raising
concerns about the Democrat's re-election bid next year.
    The two-day opinion poll, which ended on Saturday, showed
39% of respondents approved of Biden's performance as president,
matching April's reading and down marginally from 40% in October
and 42% in September. The poll had a margin of error of about
three percentage points.
    Biden is widely expected to face a November 2024 rematch
with former President Donald Trump, the frontrunner for the
Republican nomination. Other recent polls have pointed to a
potentially close race between the two.
    The share of poll respondents who rated "war and foreign
conflicts" the No. 1 problem rose to 8% in November from 4% in
October, a sign of unease over a sharp escalation in the
Israel-Palestinian conflict.
    It was the highest measure of concern about war since April
2022, when 9% of respondents cited it as their top concern
during the early months of the Russia-Ukraine war.
    A larger share - 20% - said the economy was the top concern.
By comparison, 9% cited crime and 7% cited the environment.
    Biden's public approval rating has held below 50% since
August 2021, and this month's rating was close to the lowest
levels of his presidency - 36% - seen in mid-2022.
    The Reuters/Ipsos poll gathered responses online from 1,019
adults, using a nationally representative sample.

 (Reporting by Jason Lange; Editing by Scott Malone and Alistair
Bell)
 ((mailto:jason.lange@thomsonreuters.com; Twitter @langejason))