President Biden is seeing a marginal increase in his approval rating, going from 36% in July to 41% now, largely because of a 10-point jump with independents, according to a new NPR / PBS NewsHour / maristpoll.
President Biden is also seeing a marginal increase in his approval rating, going from 36% in July to 41% now, largely because of aDemocrats also have a marginal advantage when people were asked who they would vote for if the elections were held today – 48% said a Democrat, 44% said a Republican. But given that swing districts are in many right-leaning areas, Democrats usually need a fairly significant lead on the question.
The survey of 1,236 adults was conducted Aug. 29 through Sept. 1. It has a margin of error of +/- 4.1 percentage points, meaning results could be 4 points higher or lower than what is shown. There are 1,151 registered voters surveyed with a margin of error of +/- 4.3 percentage points.Top of mind for voters when thinking about November's elections overall is inflation, followed by abortion, according to the survey.
For Republicans, inflation was by far the top issue , followed by immigration , and abortion . Nothing else received double digits.Even though inflation was the top issue for independents, 58% of them also said that the Supreme Court's decision to overturnSo independents, who are so key in swing districts and purple states, are saying, yes, they are most concerned about inflation, but abortion rights are also a motivating issue.
Abortion continues to be a key motivator for Democrats, as three-quarters said the Supreme Court's decision makes them more likely to vote,Democrats are making abortion a key focus in their elections, running millions of dollars worth of advertising on the issue in an effort to get their voters out to the polls.They have a 39%-26% advantage over Democrats when people are asked who would be better at handling the economy. That includes a 40%-17% margin with independents.
57%, including 63% of independents, said Biden's policies have made the economy weaker, the worst mark of his presidency on the question; and Copyright 2022 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.Domenico Montanaro is NPR's senior political editor/correspondent. Based in Washington, D.C., his work appears on air and online delivering analysis of the political climate in Washington and campaigns. He also helps edit political coverage.