Biden needed this badly.
President Joe Biden’s approval ratings got a much-needed boost following his first State of the Union address on Tuesday (March 1).
The NPR-PBS NewsHour-Marist National Poll released on Friday showed that the President’s approval rating has jumped to 47%. This is a stark contrast to the 39% approval rating he achieved on the same poll just a month ago.
In a statement, Lee Miringoff, director of the Marist Institute for Public Opinion, shared that the bounce was “unusual” and brought the President “back to where he was pre-Afghanistan.”
Since entering the office, Biden’s approval rating has only been higher in August, when it reached 49%.
Biden’s significant approval rating increase 一 improving by more than four points 一 has only happened four other times since 1978.
The NPR-PBS Poll also shows that on issues like COVID-19 and Ukraine, the President has also had significant gains. On COVID-19, 55% approve of Biden’s handling of the virus, compared to 47% from February. The increase follows the Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s latest guidance that has relaxed mask-wearing requirements.
On the Russia-Ukraine conflict, the poll also reveals an 18-point jump, with 52% of participants approving of Biden’s handling of the conflict compared to only 34% in February when tensions were still simmering.
The poll also revealed that the overwhelming majority, 83% of the 1,322 voting adults polled, approved the U.S. and its allies’ economic sanctions on Russia.
Mirginhoff pointed to Biden’s response to Ukraine as the reason his approval rating has increased, “Biden’s leadership on Ukraine has resonated over the last week with Americans. He has forged a consensus in the U.S. on his policy toward Ukraine. Americans are even willing to sacrifice higher energy prices in support of the Ukrainian people.”
