This month's Daily Kos/Civiqs survey tested a dozen separate policies representing key aspects of President Joe Biden's agenda and accomplishments to discern how the American public perceives them.
Of those the policies, 10 of 12 registered above water, with either a majority or plurality of voters viewing them favorably. Biden's hands-down most popular policy was his nationwide vaccination push, with 71% - 12% approval. Biden's least popular policies—and the only two underwater—were his revocation of Keystone XL permits (43% - 49%) and his reversal of Trump's immigration/border policies (44% - 50%). But overall, the takeaway on Biden's policy initiatives, both domestic and foreign, is they remain largely popular.
Below are the top lines on the responses. Registered voters were given four options: approve, disapprove, not something I care about, and unsure. Any issue on which the last two categories exceeded 10% is noted in parentheticals.
Popularity of Biden's Policies (Civiqs polling)
|
Approve |
Disapprove |
Net approval |
COVID-19 vaccination push
|
71% |
12% |
+59 |
Making Juneteenth a federal holiday
|
49% |
30% |
+19 (18% Don’t Care) |
Passing American Rescue Plan
|
55% |
38% |
+17 |
Leaving Afghanistan
|
52% |
35% |
+17 (12% Unsure) |
Canceling student debt for borrowers with disabilities
|
52% |
36% |
+16 |
Enhanced child tax credit payments
|
50% |
34% |
+16 |
Passing Bipartisan infrastructure bill in Senate
|
52% |
41% |
+11 |
Ending Trump ban on Transgender Military service |
48% |
40% |
+8 |
Rejoining Paris Climate Agreement
|
51% |
44% |
+7 |
Extending enhanced unemployment benefits
|
48% |
45% |
+3 |
Reversing Trump immigration policies
|
44% |
50% |
–6 |
Revoking Keystone XL permits
|
43% |
49% |
–6 |
Overall, those are some auspicious numbers for the Biden agenda. However, they do not explain why Biden’s approval rating has slipped over the last several months/weeks, depending on the poll. I plan to address that question more fully in my weekend column. However, generally speaking, Biden’s slip in approval doesn’t seem to be easily attributed to one specific policy or decision. Rather, a host of issues and circumstances are probably at play. Whether those factors persist or prove to be decisive in next year’s midterms remains to be seen.