OPINION: This article may contain commentary which reflects the author's opinion.
The most recent polls have not been kind to President Joe Biden and the Democrats, causing some to wonder if the party would be wise to nominate someone else to be president.
A new Fox News poll showed that close to three-quarters of Americans are not satisfied with the direction of the nation, and that includes half of Democrats, Fox News reported.
That outlet notes:
Overall, 72% of voters are dissatisfied. That number has only been higher five times, and two of those were in the last year and a half. A record 79% were dissatisfied in 2009, when the question was first asked on a Fox survey, while it hit 75% last summer (August 2022).
Current dissatisfaction is up almost 20 points since the early days of President Joe Biden’s administration when 53% felt that way (April 2021).
That grim view isn’t only held by Biden’s partisan detractors: 49% of Democrats are dissatisfied — up 29 points since the start of his presidency. Among independents, 83% are unhappy, up 18 points. An overwhelmingly 92% majority of Republicans are dissatisfied, up 8 points.
Inflation weighed heavily on the minds of the respondents, with 58 percent saying that higher prices were an emergency.
Other issues also played a role, including opioid addiction which came in at 52 percent, while crime and the border came in at 48 percent, climate change was at 39 percent, and the Russia and Ukraine war was at 34 percent.
More than a third of respondents said they were living paycheck to paycheck with savings that would last a month or less.
More than half of the people surveyed, 53 percent, said they could only live for three months or less on their savings, and for those making $50,000 or less annually, that number was 66 percent. Meanwhile, 22 percent said they could make it for a year or more on their savings which was an increase from 12 percent in 2021.
“These numbers tell the story of an increasing economic divide in America,” Democratic pollster Chris Anderson from Beacon Research, who conducted the poll with Republican Daron Shaw, said. “More households are living close to the breaking point, and more are also building up reserves, but the middle is shrinking.”
“Food and groceries are putting the greatest strain on family finances these days (41%). Far fewer voters say their toughest expense is housing (16%), utilities (12%), gasoline (12%), health care (9%), or student loans (5%),” the report said.
“Many, 53%, have delayed making a major purchase because of high interest rates, and that holds true among even the highest income groups. Women (59%), Hispanic voters (65%), and voters under age 35 (68%) are among those most likely to have put off buying a home or car because of high rates,” it said.
The people surveyed do not believe that politicians in power comprehend their situations, with 64 percent saying President Biden is out of touch and 59 percent saying the same about former President Donald Trump.
And a whopping 80 percent said the same about Congress, including Democrats, Republicans, and Independents.
The poll showed that 60 percent disapprove of the job being done by Democrats in Congress, and 66 percent disapprove of Congressional Republicans.
As for the president, 58 percent disapprove of the job he is doing, and only 41 percent approve.
“More than 6 in 10 disapprove of Biden’s handling of the economy: 37% approve, while 62% disapprove. While that’s net negative by 25 points, it’s a big improvement since last summer when he was underwater on the economy by 38 points (June 2022),” the report said.
“His marks are even lower on inflation (30% approve – 67% disapprove) and they give him his worst ratings to date on border security (30-66%),” it said.
“Some 83% of Democrats approve of Biden’s job performance overall, which is close to his 85% average among the party faithful,” it said.
Trump, meanwhile, continues to lead his fellow 2024 presidential contenders and by a wide margin most polls, virtually guaranteeing him the nomination at this point.
