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Biden's Approval Rating Surges After Hitting Low Mark In July, Quinnipiac University National Poll Finds; Half Of Americans Say Trump Should Be Prosecuted On Criminal Charges Over His Handling Of Classified Documents

Six weeks after President Joe Biden scored the lowest marks of his presidency, his job approval rating has jumped to a level not seen since September 2021. Americans give President Biden a negative 40 - 52 percent job approval rating compared to the negative 31 - 60 percent job approval rating he received in July, according to a Quinnipiac (KWIN-uh-pea-ack) University national poll of adults released today.

Democrats (83 - 10 percent) approve of the way Biden is handling his job, compared to a 71 - 18 percent job approval rating in Quinnipiac University's July 20, 2022 poll. In today's poll, Republicans (92 - 5 percent) and independents (55 - 36 percent) disapprove of Biden's job performance.

Registered voters give Biden a negative 41 - 53 percent job approval rating, compared to a negative 33 - 59 percent job approval rating in July.

Americans were asked about President Biden's handling of...

  • the response to the coronavirus: 50 percent approve, while 45 percent disapprove;
  • climate change: 44 percent approve, while 49 percent disapprove;
  • foreign policy: 38 percent approve, while 54 percent disapprove;
  • the economy: 37 percent approve, while 58 percent disapprove;
  • the situation at the Mexican border: 27 percent approve, while 60 percent disapprove.

Among these issues, the biggest change was seen in Biden's handling of the economy. In July, he received a negative 28 - 66 percent score for his handling of the economy.

Americans 53 - 43 percent approve of President Biden's plan to cancel some federal student loan debt for Americans earning less than $125,000 a year, with eligible borrowers forgiven $10,000 in federal student loan debt and those who received Pell Grants forgiven up to $20,000.

Democrats (88 - 9 percent) and independents (53 - 43 percent) approve of Biden's plan, while Republicans (81 - 14 percent) disapprove of his plan.

There are wide gaps when looking at age and race.

Americans 18 - 34 years old (69 - 26 percent) and 35 - 49 years old (58 - 39 percent) approve of Biden's plan, while Americans 50 - 64 years old (54 - 44 percent) and 65 years of age and over (54 - 41 percent) disapprove of his plan.

Black adults (81 - 13 percent) and Hispanic adults (63 - 30 percent) approve of Biden's plan, while white adults (52 - 45 percent) disapprove of his plan.

When asked about the amount of student loan debt being canceled, 30 percent of Americans say President Biden's plan should have cancelled more federal student loan debt, 29 percent say it should have cancelled less federal student loan debt, and 25 percent say it's about the right amount.

"A summertime surge. President Biden's approval number bounces back to the long elusive 40 percent mark, as he rides increased support among young adults who may well be encouraged by Biden's decision to erase some student debt," said Quinnipiac University Polling Analyst Tim Malloy.

TRUMP MAR-A-LAGO DOCUMENTS

More than three-quarters of Americans (76 percent) say they are following the news about the removal of classified documents from former President Donald Trump's Florida home either very closely (38 percent) or somewhat closely (38 percent), while 24 percent say they are either following it not so closely (11 percent) or not closely at all (13 percent).

Americans 59 - 26 percent think former President Trump acted inappropriately in the way he handled classified documents after leaving the White House.

Sixty-four percent of Americans think the allegations involving former President Trump and his handling of classified documents after leaving the White House are either very serious (49 percent) or somewhat serious (15 percent), while 32 percent think they are either not too serious (13 percent) or not serious at all (19 percent).

Among Republicans, 67 percent think the allegations are either not too serious (29 percent) or not serious at all (38 percent), while 27 percent think the allegations are either very serious (13 percent) or somewhat serious (14 percent).

Americans 50 - 41 percent think former President Trump should be prosecuted on criminal charges over his handling of classified documents after leaving the White House.

Democrats (86 - 5 percent) and independents (52 - 39 percent) think former President Trump should be prosecuted on criminal charges, while Republicans (83 - 9 percent) think he should not be prosecuted on criminal charges.

"While the justice department weighs the evidence, Americans have been watching closely and have their own verdict: former President Trump's alleged hoarding of classified documents was very serious, very wrong, and half of Americans believe it was a criminal act," added Malloy.

THREATS TO DEMOCRACY

Americans 67 - 29 percent think the nation's democracy is in danger of collapse. This is a 9-point increase from Quinnipiac University's January 12, 2022 poll when it was 58 - 37 percent.

"In a rare moment of agreement, Americans coalesce around an ominous concern. Democracy, the bedrock of the nation, is in peril," added Malloy.

BIDEN, TRUMP, AND 2024

Americans 62 - 33 percent say they do not want to see Donald Trump run for president in 2024, similar to July when it was 64 - 32 percent. Republicans 72 - 25 percent say they want to see Trump run in 2024, compared to July when it was 69 - 27 percent.

Fifty-six percent of Americans have an unfavorable opinion of Trump, while 34 percent have a favorable opinion of him. This compares to July when 55 percent had an unfavorable opinion of Trump and 37 percent had a favorable opinion of him.

Americans 67 - 26 percent say they do not want to see Joe Biden run for president in 2024. In July, Americans 71 - 24 percent said they did not want to see Biden run in 2024. Forty-seven percent of Democrats say they want to see Biden run in 2024, while 43 percent do not want to see him run. This compares to July when Democrats 54 - 40 percent said they did not want to see Biden run.

Fifty-two percent of Americans have an unfavorable opinion of Biden, while 38 percent have a favorable opinion of him. This compares to July when 58 percent had an unfavorable opinion of Biden and 35 percent had a favorable opinion of him.

MIDTERMS

Registered voters give a slight edge to the Democratic Party when asked if the election were held today who they would want to see win control of the United States House of Representatives. Forty-seven percent say the Democratic Party, while 43 percent say the Republican Party. In July, 45 percent said the Democratic Party, while 44 percent said the Republican Party.

Voters are split on which party they would want to see win control of the United States Senate with 47 percent saying the Democratic Party and 45 percent saying the Republican Party. In July, it was evenly split at 45 percent each.

In measuring how motivated voters are in this year's midterm elections, nearly half of registered voters (49 percent) say they are more motivated to vote than in past midterm elections, while 7 percent say they are less motivated, and 42 percent say they are just as motivated as usual.

More than 8 in 10 registered voters (83 percent) say when thinking about this year's midterm elections, it's either very important (56 percent) or somewhat important (27 percent) that a political candidate shares their view on abortion, while 15 percent say it's either not so important (9 percent) or not important at all (6 percent).

The percentage of registered voters saying abortion should be legal in all cases hit a new high since Quinnipiac first asked this question of registered voters in 2004. Thirty-five percent of registered voters think abortion should be legal in all cases. Twenty-nine percent of registered voters think abortion should be legal in most cases. Twenty-three percent of registered voters think abortion should be illegal in most cases and 7 percent think abortion should be illegal in all cases. The percentage of registered voters saying abortion should be illegal in all cases is also a record low since Quinnipiac first asked this question of registered voters in 2004.

MOST URGENT ISSUE

Asked to choose the most urgent issue facing the country today, inflation (27 percent) ranks first among Americans with no other issue reaching double digits.

Among Republicans, inflation (45 percent) ranks first followed by immigration (16 percent) with no other issue reaching double digits.

Among Democrats, the top issues are abortion (18 percent), climate change (16 percent), gun violence (16 percent), health care (10 percent), and inflation (10 percent).

Among independents, inflation (29 percent) ranks first with no other issue reaching double digits.

CLIMATE CHANGE

Americans 69 - 27 percent think the lives of future generations will be harmed by climate change. Every listed demographic group agrees except for Republicans, who 57 - 39 percent do not think the lives of future generations will be harmed by climate change.

1,584 U.S. adults nationwide were surveyed from August 25th - 29th with a margin of error of +/- 2.5 percentage points. The survey included 1,419 registered voters with a margin of error of +/- 2.6 percentage points.

The Quinnipiac University Poll, directed by Doug Schwartz, Ph.D. since 1994, conducts independent, non-partisan national and state polls on politics and issues. Surveys adhere to industry best practices and are based on random samples of adults using random digit dialing with live interviewers calling landlines and cell phones.

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