A survey conducted by Reuters/Ipsos revealed that U.S. President Joe Biden's popularity has dropped this month to its lowest level since April, raising concerns about the Democratic president's chances in the upcoming reelection bid next year. According to the poll, which was conducted over two days and concluded last Saturday, 39 percent of participants approve of Biden's performance as president, matching the April figure and showing a slight decrease from 40 percent in October and 42 percent in September. The margin of error in the survey is about three percentage points.
It is widely expected that Biden will compete again in November 2024 against former President Donald Trump, the frontrunner for the Republican nomination. Other recent polls have indicated the potential for a closely contested race between the two.
The percentage of respondents who indicated that "wars and foreign conflicts" are the top issue rose to eight percent in November from four percent in October, reflecting unease over the sharp escalation in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. This is the highest rate of concern regarding war since April 2022 when nine percent of participants cited it as their primary concern during the early months of the Russian-Ukrainian war.
A higher percentage, at 20 percent, identified the economy as their biggest worry. In contrast, nine percent pointed to crime, and seven percent highlighted the environment as their primary concern. Biden's approval rating has remained below 50 percent since August 2021, and this month's figure is close to the lowest of his presidency, which was 36 percent in mid-2022. The Reuters/Ipsos poll gathered responses online from 1,019 adults using a sample that represents the community.
