Fox News Poll: Voters aren’t convinced economy is improving

Most voters are unhappy with how things are going in the country and continue to rate economic conditions negatively. In addition, few voters feel they are gaining ground money-wise, according to a new Fox News national survey.

Eleven percent feel they’re getting ahead financially. That’s up from 8% who felt that way in January, but down from 17% two years ago (June 2021).

Some 43% say they are holding steady, while 45% are falling behind. More than half of Republicans (58%) and independents (53%) are falling behind. Among Democrats, it’s 51% holding steady and 30% falling behind.

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Overall, 76% say the economy is in only fair or poor shape. That’s as an improvement over last month’s 83% negative rating, and more consistent with where things have been for most of President Biden’s term, with three out of four voters giving the economy bad marks.

For comparison, views were even uglier when Biden’s former boss ran for re-election. In June 2011, fully 94% had a negative view of economic conditions under President Barack Obama. And around that time, 69% were dissatisfied with the direction of the country (April 2011).

The new survey finds 68% are dissatisfied with how things are going in the country today. Most Republicans (91%) and independents (77%) are dissatisfied, while a smaller majority of Democrats is satisfied (58%).

While the 32% of voters happy with the way things are going is up 6 points since January, it’s down from the 45% who felt that way early in Biden’s term (April 2021).

Since last month, the president’s approval on the economy is up 5 points, as 38% approve and 60% disapprove. These are Biden’s best ratings on the economy in over a year, despite being underwater by 22 points.

“Whether it’s an uptick or a blip is too soon to say, but voters feel less horrible about the economy,” says Democratic pollster Chris Anderson, whose company Beacon Research conducts Fox News surveys along with Republican Daron Shaw. “We’re a long way from saying this will help Biden’s re-election, but even a bit of economic optimism would be welcome news for the incumbent.”

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Some 27% of voters believe everyone has benefitted under Biden’s economic policies, but far more, 53%, think his policies helped only certain people — and just 6% feel part of that group. That’s about how voters described former President Trump’s policies in 2019: 31% said everyone benefitted and 55% only certain people (5% people like me).

Voters with annual household income under $100,000 are less likely to think Biden’s policies help everyone (25%) than those with higher incomes (33%).

One difference between perceptions of Biden and Trump policies is over three times as many say Biden’s have helped “no one” as said the same under Trump (18% vs. 5%). Views among Republicans push that number up, as 27% say Biden’s policies don’t help anyone. By comparison, only 8% of Democrats said the same about Trump’s policies.

In 2019, 48% of voters said Trump’s economic policies helped people with more money than they have. Today, that’s 34% for Biden.

And 13% feel people with less money have benefitted under Biden vs. only 2% under Trump.

“Beyond the fact that partisans give their guys slightly better marks on the economy, there’s a widespread feeling that government policies don’t really help the average voter,” says Shaw. “They either help no one or the rich.”

Overall, 44% approve of the job the president is doing, while 55% disapprove. It was 42-58% last month. Biden’s approval has been between 42% and 46% for nearly a year.

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Forty-one percent approve of the job Kamala Harris is doing as vice president, while 56% disapprove. More than twice as many strongly disapprove (40%) as strongly approve (18%).

Pollpourri

– By a 51-42% margin, voters favor affirmative action programs for racial and ethnic minorities in college admissions. Democrats (78%) are more likely than independents (46%) and Republicans (25%) to favor the programs, and more Black voters (78%) favor them than White voters (45%). The Supreme Court ruled Thursday (after the survey) to ban affirmative action in admissions to higher education institutions.

– The high court is also deciding a case about a graphic artist who opposes making websites for same-sex couples. The survey finds 62% feel same-sex couples should have equal access to every business that offers their services to the public, while 36% say owners should have the right to refuse service when it conflicts with their beliefs. Democrats (84%) and independents (62%) believe same-sex couples should have equal access and Republicans (60%) are more likely to say businesses can refuse.

– Overall, nearly two-thirds are following news about the short-lived armed rebellion in Russia, and about three-quarters believe that action matters a great deal or some to life here in the United States – including majorities of Democrats, Republicans, and independents.

CLICK HERE FOR TOPLINE AND CROSSTABS

Conducted June 23-26, 2023, under the joint direction of Beacon Research (D) and Shaw & Company Research (R), this Fox News Poll includes interviews with 1,005 registered voters nationwide randomly selected from a voter file and spoke with live interviewers on landlines and cellphones. The poll has a margin of sampling error of plus or minus 3 percentage points for all registered voters.

Fox News’ Victoria Balara contributed to this report.

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