A new poll shows 96% of Americans do not think things are going “very well” in America.
The survey, conducted by CBS News/YouGov, shows deep dissatisfaction with how President Joe Biden is currently running the country — as just 4% say things are going “very well.”
Some 70% said things are going “very badly” or “somewhat badly” while 26% said things are going “somewhat well.”
And just 4% said the economy is “very good.” Some 64% said the economy is “very bad” or “fairly bad,” with just 26% saying the economy is “fairly good.”
The poll puts Biden’s job approval rating at 44%, and he gets negative scores for his handling of inflation (67%), immigration (64%), the economy (61%), foreign policy (58%), and race relations (56%).
“Gas prices are a particular reason people cite for why they think the overall economy is bad — and that’s another window into how people process and measure what exactly the ‘economy’ is when asked to evaluate it, focusing at the moment on things of immediate cost and concern. About half of Americans are at least somewhat concerned about their ability to afford gas right now,” CBS said.
Biden recently acknowledged that his $1.9 trillion COVID-19 stimulus package has made it so “people have more money now,” but acknowledged that provided fuel for the highest rate of inflation in more than 30 years.
Although Biden pinned the problem on supply chain issues, calling it “the reason,” he also conceded that the U.S. dollar is losing buying power.
“The irony is people have more money now because of the first major piece of legislation I passed. You all got checks for $1,400. You got checks for a whole range of things,” Biden said during a speech in Baltimore. “If you’re a mom and you have kids under the age of 7, you get $300 a month and if it’s over 7 to 17, you’re getting $360 a month,” he said. The White House later corrected that latter number to $250 per month.
“It changes people’s lives. But what happens if there’s nothing to buy and you got more money to compete for getting [goods]? It creates a real problem,” Biden said.
Biden said with all that money floating around, the demand for goods is exceeding supply.
“On the one hand, we’re facing new disruptions to our supplies. At the same time, we’re also experiencing higher demand for goods because wages are up as well as people have money in the bank. And because of the strength of our economic recovery, American families have been able to buy more products,” Biden said.
The CBS poll also found that Americans hold Biden responsible for the crisis at the U.S.-Mexico border.
“President Biden draws plenty of criticism from the right and from some on the left, too, for his handling of immigration, generally,” CBS said. “To those on the right, and in particular for those who voted for former President Trump, for whom the issue was so important, Mr. Biden’s handling of it has long been unsatisfactory, and specifically they say not “tough enough.” On the left, a substantial number of liberals — about a third — feel President Biden’s handling of the border situation, in particular, is similar to the Trump administration’s.”