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Is Joe Biden's honeymoon phase over? Approval rating dips from 54% to 51% as support for Congress drops too: Poll

A survey from Monmouth University has revealed that the president's approval rating in January stood at 54 percent in comparison to the 51 percent in February-end and early March numbers

It’s only a month-and-a-half since Joe Biden took over as the 46th president of the US but according to a new poll, his honeymoon period might already be over. The survey conducted by Monmouth University, which got released on Wednesday, March 3, said the President has a 51 percent approval rate, three points less than that in late January. Biden’s disapproval rate, on the other hand, has gone up from 30 percent to 42 percent. 

According to the Monmouth University report: “The shift comes as more Americans form an opinion of the new president, with “no opinion” going from 16% in late January to 8% now. Biden gets a 91% approval rating from Democrats (similar to 90% in January) and an 80% disapproval rating among Republicans (up from 70%). Independents are now divided at 43% approve and 48% disapprove, compared with their net positive rating (47% to 30%) of Biden in January.”

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Monmouth University Polling Institute Director Patrick Murray said it was not surprising to see that the new president’s “honeymoon period” got over quickly. However, he added that Biden still maintains a net positive rating in the poll, which was conducted between February 25 and March 1. The poll covered 802 adults nationwide who were questioned over phone.

The approval rate for Congress also dips

The poll also pointed out a drop in the approval for Congress. Only three in 10 approved of the job the Congress is doing, down from 35 percent seen a month ago. The disapproval rate jumped from 51 percent in January to 59 percent currently. According to Monmouth, the January “results were a historical high in eight years of national polling by Monmouth. While the current ratings have declined, they remain on the higher end of the range across which they have fluctuated since 2013”. The poll also showed that more than six in 10 Americans back the Covid-19 stimulus and relief bill worth $1.9 trillion, which was being considered by Congress at the time.

The poll also said that while 53 percent of the people support raising the federal minimum wage to $15 an hour, 45 percent were against it. The minimum wage hike was included in the House bill that was passed last week but it was likely to be dead as the Senate prepared to debate its own version of the House-passed coronavirus aid package because of a parliamentary ruling.
 
“Even though the decision to jettison the minimum wage hike is largely out of Democrats’ hands, one lesson from 2009’s recovery bill is that you don’t get much credit if it is seen as a half measure. The question is whether the minimum wage hike is considered essential. It will be interesting to see how public opinion reacts to the final legislation, both in the short-term and the long-term,” Murray said. 
 
An average of all the latest national polls that measured Biden’s approval rating, which is compiled by Real Clear Politics, showed President Biden having 55 percent approval and 40 percent disapproval.