Poll: Just Two Percent of Americans View Joe Biden’s Economy as ‘Excellent’

Just two percent of Americans view President Joe Biden’s economy as “excellent,” a Gallup survey released Wednesday found.

According to the survey, economic issues are at the forefront of Americans’ minds, as they identify it as a top issue facing the country today. 

Most U.S. adults, 80 percent, rate the economy as either poor or fair, and of those, 42 percent say the economic conditions are poor. In contrast, one in five have a more positive outlook of economic conditions, but of those, just two percent rate the conditions as “excellent” under President Biden’s leadership.

One in five also say the economy is improving, but the vast majority, 76 percent, said it is getting worse, months ahead of the midterm elections.

According to Gallup:

Gallup regularly tracks Americans’ ratings of national economic conditions as excellent, good, only fair or poor, as well as their views on whether the economy is getting better or worse. The combined responses are used to create the Gallup Economic Confidence Index (ECI), which has a theoretical range of +100 (if all respondents say the economy is excellent or good and that it is getting better) to -100 (if all say it is poor and getting worse).

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The resulting -39 Economic Confidence Index reading is identical to last month but well above the record low of -72 in October 2008, during the Great Recession. The ECI has been in negative territory since July 2021 as Americans have watched the inflation rate climb to its highest levels since 1981 and felt its effects on their own finances. In addition to rising inflation, the U.S. public is increasingly worried about high fuel prices.

Overall, U.S. adults identify economic issues as some of the most pressing issues, listing the high cost of living, the economy “in general,” fuel/oil prices, and unemployment/jobs as central issues. However, another 20 percent also chose “the government/poor leadership” as a top issue — an alarming figure for both Biden and Democrats, as they control Washington. 

The survey was taken April 1-19, 2022, among 1,018 adults and has a +/- 4 percent margin of error.

These attitudes could have a major impact on the 2022 midterm elections, as Biden continues to see souring rating across the board and Americans identify economic issues as the top issue in determining how they will vote in the upcoming elections.